Other Worlds
by Tenshi No Warui
Summary: The perfect soldier from an age of technology is thrown into a world where swords and sorcery rule and discovers a past he never knew he had.
1. Prologue

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Other Worlds

By The Evil Oni

This is the first time I've posted anything I've written online. If you read it, and this prologue piques your interest, please tell me and I'll get the first chapter up. If you think it sucks, please tell me, but tell me why it sucks. That way I can fix it. Arigato. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing ,unfortunately, is not mine *sigh*

Prologue

Another lazy, quiet summer day, much like the one before it. A day to laugh, to have fun, perhaps even a day to fall in love. Deep in a forest, where the trees proudly display perfect, lush green leaves, is a small lake. Its clear surface is smooth as glass and reflects the beautiful azure sky. The wild grass grows soft and tall here, while little yellow and purple blossoms spring forth from the ground adding little bursts of color in the sea of green. A gentle breeze blows through carrying the scent of sun-warmed earth and the perfume of flowers, the scent of summer. It blows through the tall grass, making it move to and fro in happy little dance and the trees to rustle their leaves and whisper secrets to those that would hear them.

The only thing that disturbs this peaceful scene is the melancholy boy that sits at the water's edge, with his knees drawn up against his chest. His wild, sepia-brown hair is blown gently about by the soft wind. His cobalt blue eyes stare at nothing, yet take in everything to be absorbed in their bottomless blue depths. His features are fine, a boy's, but they are hardened, indicating a boy forced to become a man too quickly. His lithe, muscular form is clad in dark blue spandex shorts and a green tank top. A weary sigh escapes lips and is lost in the breeze. He tightens his arms around him, trying to warm a chill that comes from within.

Suddenly a large black portal of swirling black clouds forms above the small lake. The wind picks up and roars around the boy who is fighting to stand up, his eyes staring in wide-eyed awe at the once clear blue summer sky. Blue lightning criss-crosses across the sky, loud thunder echoing through the once quiet woods. The boy turns to run, but it is too late. A bolt of blue lightning strikes him and throws him into darkness. 


	2. Chapter 1

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Other Worlds

Chapter 1

Wai! I'm so happy I got a review! I'm dedicating this first chapter to the person who gave me my first review and the encouragement to continue my story! You know who you are, you wonderful person you! Okay, enough with my pointless babbling, on with the story!

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing, unfortunately, is not mine. *sigh*

…. = denotes thoughts

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The scent of crushed grass greeted Heero as he awoke. He moaned as he pushed himself shakily to his knees. He clutched his head between his hands as if he could muffle the pounding ache between his ears. He lifted his head and looked around at his surroundings to try and determine where he was. So far all he could see was that he was still in a forest. Buttery sunlight filtered through the trees where birds sang and chittered. Insects buzzed and hummed and flowers spread open their vibrant petals, releasing their inviting perfumes to entice a passing bee or butterfly. 

Heero got to his feet and tried to gather his thoughts. How did he get here? Where was here? The last thing he could remember was sitting by a lake in some woods. Why had he been sitting by that lake? Something had drawn him there. He remembered walking away from the safehouse, despite the warnings from the others that they needed to stay hidden. An urge had pulled him to that serene crystalline lake. This confused him. He wasn't normally the type to follow silly urges, but for some odd reason he had been unable to resist. But how had he gotten here? He decided he would worry about that later. Right now he needed to find a way back to the safehouse. He picked a direction he thought was right and headed off.

Heero paused when he heard a low sound behind him. It sounded like an animal growl. He turned around to look behind him and drew his gun at the same time. There was nothing there. He heard it again, only it was louder this time and it sounded like it was coming from more than one animal. He turned around again and his stormy blue eyes widened in shock at what he saw.

There were two of them. They looked like wolves, only they were much to large to be wolves. They were at least as tall as he was, maybe a little bit bigger. Their fur was a rusty crimson, like the color of dried blood. Their lips were pulled back in threatening snarls, saliva dripping from snapping yellow teeth. Their yellow slitted eyes held the familiar glee of a predator that has come upon easy prey. The large creatures circled closer and then one of the huge beasts lunged for Heero's throat.

Heero's soldier instincts kicked in and he quickly rolled out of the way, barely escaping the snapping jaws. He fired off three shots, hitting the large red beast square in the chest. The giant red wolf paused for a moment, confused by it's prey's strange actions, but was soon after Heero again. Heero emptied his gun into the thing, but he didn't even seem to slow it down. If he succeeded in doing anything, that was pissing the large creature off and it's mate was joining it.

"Shit! What the hell are these things?!" Heero cursed as he got up and started to run through the woods once he realized his gun's ineffectiveness against the beasts. They happily gave chase as Heero tore desperately through the woods. He could feel their hot breath against his back as they panted after him and smell the stench of rotting meat that reeked from their snarling jaws. He pushed his body to go faster, but the dog-like creatures easily kept up. Heero then realized that they were just toying with him and from the looks of things they were greatly enjoying their game. Hopefully they would play with him long enough for him to figure out a way to lose them. Luck, however, was not on his side today.

Heero cursed as he felt his left foot collide with an upraised tree root and sent him flying. He let out a pained grunt as his body made contact with the hard earth, knocking the wind from his lungs. He gasped and wheezed as he turned himself over, fighting to catch his breath. The red beasts slowly stalked towards him, their teeth bared in an evil grin and their narrow yellow eyes glittered with triumph. Heero scooted backwards, wincing at the pain in his ankle.

Shit. Must have twisted it when I tripped… He looked back up when he saw one of the large beasts lunge for his throat again. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the pain he knew was coming. This was it. The game was over.

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Oooh, killer cliffhanger! What will happen to our beloved Heero? Want to find out? Let me know and I'll put chapter two up! Aren't I evil for letting you dangle like that? *laughs maniacally* ^_^


	3. Chapter 2

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Other Worlds

Chapter 2

WAAIII!! I can't believe so many people have read and liked my story! This is so exciting for me! *dances around in happy little circles and hugs her chibi muses* Thank you everyone and read and reviewed my story! This chapter is dedicated to all of you wonderful special people! ^_^ 

Oh, and one more thing. I think Heero may be a little OOC in this chapter. If he is I'm sorry. I don't know him very well, since I'm a big Wufei fan. ^_^ If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions that would help improve my story, please feel free to e-mail me and let me know. I just want everybody to enjoy my work. It's all for you!

Disclaimer: You should know this by now.

…. = denotes thoughts

Heero closed his eyes and braced himself for the pain he knew was coming. He lay there, his back pressed against the rough bark of a tree, counting the seconds he had left to live. He suddenly heard a loud yelp. He opened his eyes to see the large red beast that had been about to rip his throat out, sprawled on its side about five feet away to his right. The acrid smell of burning flesh and smoke assaulted Heero's nose. He noticed the monster's side was smoking and a large burn wound covered over half its body. He looked around trying to find the cause of the damage and to see if it would be coming after him next.

The other large red wolf sniffed at its now dead partner. It turned to Heero, growling and baring sharp fangs. It leaped for Heero, but a figure leaped from the woods and slashed the monstrous beast across its large red muzzle. The beast howled in pain and outrage at being wounded. It stepped back, growling at the intruder who had gotten between it and its potential dinner. The stranger began chanting odd words that ran together like liquid, in a quiet melodious voice. 

What the hell…?

Heero watched in mute fascination as a small ball of light formed in the stranger's open, upturned palm. It grew to become a large ball of scorching hot flames. Heero could feel the heat wash against his skin from the dancing flames, but the caster seemed oblivious to them. The red beast leaped and at the same time, the stranger threw the giant ball of flames straight into the monster's face, permanently ending its evil existence.

The stranger re-sheathed her sword and turned to face him. She walked over to him and held out a hand to help him up. The same hand that had just destroyed that horrible red beast. Heero refused her hand and got up on his own. He pressed his back tightly against the tree, ready to defend himself should she decide to turn her blade on him.

Nothing was said as the two stood there. Heero looked the strange person over carefully. She was a few inches shorter than he was. She had fine features that gave her a strange ethereal beauty. Her rosy pink lips stood out against her peaches and cream complexion. Her almond shaped aqua-green eyes were partially hidden by her tousled looking bangs. Her honey-blonde hair had golden highlights, like someone had painted streaks of sunlight through it and it hung down past her waist in a thick, neat braid. Her figure was slender and curved in all the right places. She was wearing pants made out of a rough looking brown material that clung to her shapely legs like a second skin and knee-high brown leather boots. Her dark green shirt was cut low exposing her slender shoulders and ended short showing off a smooth, flat stomach. The sleeves were loose and flared slightly before ending neatly at her wrists. A small hole was cut in the center of her small blouse, showing ample cleavage. What was strangest though, was that her ears were long and ended in a point.

"Hey! What are you staring at?!" she suddenly said angrily breaking the silence between them. She was flushed a bright red. Heero looked away quickly.

Was I just checking her out?

"Who are you?" he asked coldly, distrust flashing in his stormy blue eyes.

"Well that's a fine thank you. Do you always show the people who just saved your life such gratitude?" she said snidely. Heero just glared at her.

"My name is Nikita. Most call me Nikki though." She flipped her long yellow braid over her shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Where am I?" he asked, totally ignoring her question.

"You're in Jenret Forest. Why?" she answered, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

"How did I get here?"

"How in the Seven Realms should I know?!" Nikita was becoming a bit exasperated at all the questions and a little annoyed at the strange boy's attitude towards her. "Don't you know how you got here?" Heero shook his head.

"I just woke up here."

"You just woke up here?" asked Nikita, raising a delicate gold eyebrow. She walked over to Heero until they were only a few feet apart. "What do you mean you just woke up here? You must have gotten here somehow." She rubbed at her chin thoughtfully, gazing off into the distance. Her oceanic eyes fixed themselves on Heero again. "Say, just where are you from anyway? You don't look like you're from around here."

"I'm not." said Heero. 

"So you're a foreigner and you have no clue how you got here." summarized Nikita. "I guess that explains why you were wandering around unarmed. Most people don't come to Jenret Forest with some kind of weapon. This place is notorious for its blood wolves. I thought you were just a stupid traveler."

Heero said nothing.

"Hey, you still haven't told me your name." said Nikita. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at Heero.

"Heero Yuy."

"Heero Yuy? What kind of a name is that?" she snorted. "Well Heero Yuy we'd better get going before something else shows up."

"We?" Heero cocked a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Yes 'we'. My conscience won't let me leave you behind to die. I guess I'm too kind-hearted, especially to you bone-headed humans." she gestured for him to follow her. "Let's go. My brother's at our camp. It's not too far away. He's a mage so he might be able to find out how you got here."

"A mage?"

"Yes. Don't they have mages where you come from?" she turned around so she was facing him. Heero shook his head. "What a strange country. Imagine, not having any mages. What a silly thought." Nikita noticed Heero limping as he walked after her.

"Hey there, why are you limping? Are you injured?" She walked back over to him and began examining his leg. 

"I tripped and twisted it while I was running." said Heero.

"Well we better take care of it then. Sit down." she ordered and for some reason Heero found himself obeying. Nikita then set to work making a makeshift splint for Heero's injured ankle.

"There. That'll do for now." she said as she finished. She stood up and took Heero's hand to help him to his feet. Heero felt a strange tingle run through his arm at the minimal contact. "You can lean on me until we find something you can use as a crutch." She swung one of his arms around her shoulders and gripped him tightly around the waist. Heero found himself feeling a little strange at her closeness. He could feel the bare flesh of her shoulders against the underside of his arm. It was so smooth and soft and contrasted greatly against his own tan skin. A few loose strands of hair that had escaped from her braid tickled his arm. They felt like strands of silk. Heero inhaled sharply when he accidentally put too much weight on his injured ankle, distracted by his study of the strange girl. He caught her scent. She smelled like strawberries and fresh cream.

Wait. Why am I thinking about the way she smells? Heero shook the thoughts from his head and concentrated on walking. He suddenly felt Nikita tense. 

"What's wrong?" he asked as he scanned the woods for potential danger. He couldn't find anything.

"Shhh. I think I hear something." Nikita whispered. Heero listened as well. After a while he could hear a faint rustling sound coming from their right. 

"I think we may have trouble."

Another cliffhanger! What will happen to Heero now? You'll just have to wait and see! Chapter 3 may be a little slow in coming. This chapter kinda took a lot outta me. Please be patient! I'll post it as soon as I can. Promise! Please review and thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 3

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Other Worlds

Chapter 3

Hey minna-san! Here's chapter 3. This chapter gave me nothing but problems so I'm sorry if it's not very good. Chapter 4 will be much better I hope. I'm already working on it now so it should be up within the week. Heero's acting very OOC so my apologies to all you Heero fans. I hope you enjoy my story and continue reading despite the suckiness of this chapter. ^_^;

"I think we may have trouble." Nikita drew her longsword from the leather sheath that hung on her hip with her free hand. She prepared herself for attack, taking a couple steps in front of Heero so she would be able to protect him and push him out of the way of any danger. They both watched the spot where the sound was coming from, both expecting a seven-foot tall drooling monster to come leaping out and tear both their heads off. Suddenly a figure did emerge from the thick foliage, but it could hardly be called a monster. It was a man dressed in elegant white robes with a strange blue symbol embroidered on the front. A blue tear-shaped gem hung from a silver chain around his neck. He had very similar facial features to Nikita; even the same almond shaped aqua-green eyes. His hair was a little bit lighter though and only came down to his shoulders. His complexion was also a little lighter than Nikita's, but he had the same long pointed ears as her. 

Nikita relaxed and lowered her sword. "Gods." she swore. She turned to Heero. "This is my older brother Aldrich." She then turned and glared angrily at Aldrich.

"By the gods Aldrich! You nearly scared the piss out of us! We thought you were a monster or something!" Nikita raged. The slender man seemed unaffected by her ranting as he began absently brushing off his robes.

"Well you took so long getting back I decided to go look for you. Who's that?" he gestured to Heero.

"This is Heero Yuy. He was about to be eaten when I found him. He says he doesn't know how he got here." explained Nikita. Aldrich cocked an eyebrow at Heero.

"I said you out for firewood and I find you flirting with a foreigner. Then you make up some lame excuse to cover it up." He looked Heero over. "And a strange looking foreigner at that."

"I was not flirting with him!" exclaimed Nikita while blushing a bright cherry red. Heero just looked off to the side, not wanting to get involved.

"Then why is your arm around his waist?" Aldrich asked with a sly smile.

"I was helping him! He twisted his ankle!" she sputtered.

"If you say so, my dear little Nikita." Aldrich turned and started walking back the way he came. Nikita and Heero followed after him, with Nikita mumbling something under her breath about how she was going to castrate a certain brother of hers with a dull blade.

It was not long before they reached the camp. The smell of roasting fish permeated the air and Heero realized how hungry he was as the smell caused his stomach to grumble grouchily. Nikita walked him over to a log by the fire and he sat down eyeing the fish hungrily. Nikita walked over to a large brown satchel and busied herself with searching for something in it. Aldrich sat on a mat on the other side of the fire, facing Heero.

"So your name's Heero Yuy, eh? Odd sounding name. Where are you from?" Aldrich asked cheerfully. Heero said nothing. Aldrich waited patiently for an answer from the silent brunette. When he realized he wasn't going to get one, he continued.

"So you really don't know how you got you here?" asked Aldrich. Heero nodded. "How strange. Well do you remember what happened before you got here?"

Heero closed his eyes and concentrated his thoughts. He could remember sitting in the woods by a lake. It was a peaceful summer day. The crystalline lake reflected a perfect blue sky in which fat, fluffy white clouds rolled lazily by. He could remember the feel of the breeze's soft play against his hair and the tall wild grass that tickled the underside of his bare legs. And then…then what? Something had happened and he woke up here and was chased down by some giant rabid wolf. What had happened before? Why couldn't he remember?

"No." he finally answered. "I can't remember anything." He looked down at his sneakers, frustrated with himself.

"Oh well, don't worry about it right now." Nikita walked over and placed a comforting hand on Heero's shoulder. Her soft touch sent sparks of electricity through his body. "I'm sure it'll come to you later." Heero looked up and noticed Aldrich giving then an odd look. Nikita glared at him and blushed. She turned her gaze back to Heero. "Here." She handed him a canteen. Heero took it and guzzled down the water greedily. It was fresh and sweet and slid like cod silver down his parched throat. He handed the empty canteen back to Nikita and mumbled a quiet thanks. Nikita nodded and went to put her canteen back.

"Well, I guess your going to be travelling with us for a while then, Heero. Nikita and I simply can't leave you out here to die. It would go against our morals. Besides," Aldrich smirked, "My sister might miss you too much." Nikita turned around and glared at him. Aldrich just laughed while he removed the cooked fish from the fire. He bit into one of the cooked fish and held another one out to Heero. "Hungry?"

Heero took the fish gratefully and took a big bite. It was delicious. Nikita sat down next to him, nibbling on a small piece of yellow cheese.

"Hey Nikki, are there any cities close by?" asked Aldrich around a mouthful of fish.

"Yes there are and don't talk with your mouth full. It's rude." replied Nikita. Aldrich stuck his tongue out at her. Nikita rolled her eyes. "How can you be the older one when you act so childish? I think we were born backwards." Aldrich just shrugged and grinned.

"So, which cities?"

"There's Canderis, Marchmont, and Jaden." Nikita paused for a moment while she thought. "Marchmont and Jaden are about three days' travel from here and Canderis is about two."

"Then we'll go to Canderis. Besides, I think I know someone there who may be able to help our lost little friend here." He smiled cheerily at Heero. Heero said nothing.

"Not much of a talker are you?" Aldrich reached for the last piece of fish, but Nikita beat him to it. He glared at her while she grinned smugly and nibbled on the fish. "Well don't worry, we're not the realms' worst travelling companions. Well, Nikki there may be, but I'm not so bad."

"Too bad you're the only one who thinks so." smirked Nikita with a mouth full of fish.

"Don't talk with your mouth full my dear, it's very rude." said Aldrich, turning Nikita's words from earlier back on her. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"My my, now who's being childish?" chided Aldrich. He turned to Heero. "She always get so silly around boys she's taken a liking to." He winked. Nikita gagged on her fish and gave her brother a look of death. Aldrich just laughed. Heero looked over at Nikita and she began blushing furiously and turned her aqua-green eyes away. 

Aldrich stood up, stretched and dusted his white robes off again

"Well we better get moving if we want to get to Canderis. We can't dally here all day." He rolled up the pallet he had been sitting on and put it into a large brown satchel. He looked over at Heero. "You know, we are going to have to get you some different clothes. People may become suspicious of you if you walked around dressed so strangely." He reached into his satchel and pulled something out. "Here, wear this for now." He threw the objects at Heero.

Heero easily caught the objects. It was a black tunic that looked a little big for him and a pair of loose black pants. Heero pulled the pants on over his spandex shorts. He noticed Nikita casting him sidelong glances as he pulled off his green tanktop and pulled on the loose black tunic. She blushed lightly and looked away when he caught her staring.

"Here, I'll take that." she said. Heero tossed her tank top over to her. She caught it and put it in her own satchel. Heero sniffed at his shirt and wrinkled his nose. Aldrich looked up from his packing and noticed Heero frowning. 

"Sorry, it hasn't been washed in a while." Aldrich apologized. He picked up his satchel and threw it over a shoulder. Then he picked up the oak staff that had been lying next to him and handed it to Heero.

"Here, you can use this if you want to." He looked over at his sister, who was busy putting on her own satchel and putting out the campfire. "Unless you'd like to continue using little Nikki as a crutch. I'm sure she doesn't mind." He smiled mischievously while Nikita shot him a venomous look. She blushed when Heero looked over at her. Aldrich laughed.

"Well let's get going my little lovebirds." He said as he turned and started walking away. "We're wasting daylight."

"I swear I'm going to get you back one of these days Aldrich." growled Nikita.

"Promises, promises." Aldrich called back over his shoulder, waving his slender hand in an idle gesture. Nikita stomped after him, grumbling incoherent words under her breath. Heero followed the strange duo, wondering what to expect on what was promising to be a strange journey.

Well what do you think? It wasn't too bad was it? Poor Nikita, she blushed so much in this chapter. Don't you hate it when older siblings embarrass you in front of a hot guy? Please review and tell me what you thought. I would especially like to know what you think of Nikita and Aldrich. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to e-mail me at [onichan01@yahoo.com][1]. Arigato!

   [1]: mailto:onichan01@yahoo.com



	5. Chapter 4

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Other Worlds

Chapter 4

I was wrong. Chapter 4 didn't turn out any better than 3. This chapter was a total pain in the ass too. There's a lot of fluff in this chapter and Heero OOCness. I'll try to make chapter 5 better. There'll be more action in it. Anyway, I hope this chapter doesn't totally bore you. Special thanks to miaka79 and hypergirl for all their encouragement! Arigato! ^_^

Disclaimer: See the first few chapters.

…. = denotes thought

Heero stumbled aimlessly through the darkness. Everywhere he looked all he could see was black empty space. The air was hot and suffocating. Beads of sweat rolled down his body making his shirt stick uncomfortably to his skin. He thought he could hear a strange sound coming from somewhere. Heero strained his ears and could soon make out the sound of someone's ragged breathing. He found himself being pulled in the direction of the noise that cut through the silent empty space. It was not long before he saw Nikita, standing poised for battle with her longsword held out in front of her. Blood covered the long silver blade and dripped off in ruby drops, landing with a soft _plop_ on the hard dirt floor. A dark, shadowy figure emerged from the empty space with a crossbow cocked and ready. Heero tried to call out to Nikita and warn her, but his voice was lost to him. The figure took aim and fired.

Nikita let out a pained cry as the crossbow bolt pierced her back and broke through her chest. Her longsword fell from her dying hands and clattered to the ground. She slowly dropped to her knees clutching at the wound. She landed with a dull thud on the floor; gasping and choking on the blood that poured from her mouth. Heero finally found his voice and cried out as he ran to Nikita's side. He turned her over and cradled her in his arms, the look of pain in her endless aqua-green eyes cutting deep into his heart. Her body felt cold against his burning skin and was rapidly becoming cooler. Heero felt something warm and wet run down his face and watched in surprise as a clear drop landed on Nikita's cheek. He was crying. Why was he crying over someone he barely knew? Why did he feel this way about someone he barely knew? He lifted his hand and saw it was covered in blood. Her blood. It ran down his arm in tiny red rivulets, dripping off his elbow to land on Nikita's quickly paling face. Her mouth fluttered open and close with her struggled breaths. Her aqua-green eyes slowly slid shut. Heero reached down to gently stroke her pale face, leaving behind a streak of ruby red that stood out starkly against the white of her face. His bloody fingers gently traced her lips coating them with crimson. He bent down and pressed his lips to her soft cold ones, tasting the metallic tang of blood. His tears flowed faster now, mingling with the blood on her face.

"Nikita…"

Heero woke up, a sheen of sweat covering his body. His breathing was ragged and shallow as he sat up and looked at the sleeping figure to his right. Nikita was still there, curled up on her sleeping mat. Heero breathed a shaky sigh of relief and shivered as the night air cooled his damp skin. He looked at his hand, remembering the feel of the warm blood running down his arm. Why had he had such a weird dream? Did it mean something? Was Nikita in danger? He brought a trembling hand to his lips and remembered the feel of her cold mouth against his, the metallic sweet taste of her blood. He groaned exasperatedly and clutched his temples. This was becoming too much.

A sound suddenly startled Heero from his thoughts. His head shot up and he looked over to see Aldrich busily packing his things. Aldrich looked up from what he was doing when he felt Heero's cold blue eyes on him.

"Well, good evening Heero." he smiled, speaking softly so they wouldn't disturb Nikita from her sleep. "Trouble sleeping?"

"What are you doing?" asked Heero. He got up and walked over to Aldrich, suspicion of the taller man evident in his cobalt eyes. Aldrich finished packing and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"I'm low on some special supplies and I need to get some more. There's a village nearby that sells what I need." Aldrich made a gesture towards the north. "So I'm going there."

"Why didn't you wait until we left in the morning? Or wake up Nikita?" asked Heero.

"Well, no offense to my dear sister, but I do travel faster without her. Besides, I've left her to travel alone before. She doesn't really mind." he said nonchalantly. He looked over at Heero and grinned. "At least she's not alone this time." Heero said nothing.

Aldrich smiled and looked up at the dark blue sky. The stars twinkled in his laughing aqua-green eyes. The silver moonlight bathed his delicate features, giving him an ethereal glow. Heero studied his profile against the night sky. He was almost too pretty to be a man.

"Heero," he said, his voice soft and low. He looked over at his sleeping sibling. "How do you feel about my sister?" 

"What?!" exclaimed Heero a little to loudly. 

"Shhhhh!" scolded Aldrich with a long delicate finger to his lips.

"Sorry."

"I know she feels something for you." continued Aldrich, "She doesn't act the same way around other men as she does you. I've never seen her get so flustered before." Aldrich looked back to Nikita. "And unless I'm very mistaken, you feel something for her too. Am I wrong?"

For once, Heero didn't have an answer. He looked back at Nikita's sleeping figure. The moonlight's soft glow made her hair shimmer like gold. She looked so at ease in her slumber, like a child with no worries in the world. Her soft, pink lips were parted slightly. Her chest rose and fell with each whispered breath, her exposed skin glowing in the silver moonlight. Heero found himself mesmerized by the sight. He had never seen anyone more beautiful. 

How _do_ I feel about her?… He turned back to Aldrich.

"I don't know." he answered honestly. Aldrich chuckled softly.

"Well, at least your honest." He looked down at Heero's injured ankle. "I see your ankle's better now."

"I heal quickly."

"Ah. Well, would you mind if I took my staff back? I need to have some protection while walking through these woods." said Aldrich. Heero shook his head. "Great." Aldrich walked over and picked up his staff. Then he walked back to Heero.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later." he said. "When my sister wakes up, tell her I said that I'd meet you both in Canderis, will you?" Heero nodded and Aldrich started walking away.

"Take good care of Nikki for me, Heero." Aldrich called softly as he waved goodbye to Heero over his shoulder. He hummed a cheerful tune as he walked away and disappeared into the darkness of the night forest.

Heero woke again as the warm sunlight caressed his face and roused him from the peaceful oblivion of sleep. He, much to his relief, had fallen asleep without having any disturbing dreams. He looked over at Nikita, who was also waking. She slowly sat up, rubbing at her oceanic eyes in a childish manner. She stretched and yawned broadly, rubbing out the kinks in her neck. She blinked sleepily a few times before looking groggily over to Heero.

"Good morning Heero." she said with a sleepy smile that Heero found to be incredibly sexy, despite himself. Nikita looked past him a look of confusion quickly taking its place on her features. "Where did my brother go?"

"He left in the middle of the night. He said he needed some supplies and that he would meet us in Canderis." said Heero. Nikita's look of confusion quickly changed to one of rage.

"That good-for-nothing jerk! How dare he go by himself and leave me behind again!" fumed the blonde elf. She slammed a fist into the ground. "I swear by the gods, he's gonna get it the next time I lay eyes on him!"

Nikita stood up and angrily pulled on her boots. She grumbled and stomped around as she re-packed her things. She looked over at Heero, who was still sitting there watching her.

"Well, are you going to help me or just sit there all day?!"

"Heero got up and helped Nikita get everything together. Then, after a quick breakfast of slightly stale bread and dried fruit, the two headed off to Canderis.

They walked in silence for a long time. Heero off in his own thoughts, wondering what was happening with the other pilots, Nikita getting more uncomfortable with silence as they walked. She was too used to having her brother there to talk her ear off.

"So…I see your ankle's feeling better. You don't even limp anymore." said Nikita, trying to break the silence.

"I heal quickly." replied Heero.

"Ah. I see." The uncomfortable silence fell between the two travelers once more. 

"Would you like to talk about anything?" asked Nikita hopefully.

"Like what?" asked Heero.

"Anything. I just can't stand this silence anymore. I'd almost welcome my brother's mindless chatter about now." said Nikita exasperatedly, waving her arms for emphasis.

"Why are your ears long and pointed like that?" asked Heero. Nikita turned around and gave him an odd look.

"What do you mean "why are my ears pointed"? They're supposed to be that way. I'm an elf." she said as she fingered one of the small silver hoops that hung from her ear.

"An elf?"

"Yes, an elf. Don't you have any where your from?" asked Nikita.

"Not to my knowledge." replied Heero.

"What kind of strange world are you from? Not having any elves, that's ridiculous. That's almost as sill as there not being any mages…" she trailed off suddenly, looking tense.

"What's wrong?" asked Heero, his senses instantly on full alert. He stopped and listened but he could hear nothing. He scanned the woods around them for the threat, but found none. Nikita drew her sword and fell into a fighting stance. Heero drew his gun and prepared himself for a possible attack as well.

"Bandits." Nikita spat. "We're surrounded."

There it is! Hope you enjoyed! I have a question for all of you. What do you think of me adding another g-boy to the mix? My friend Kousei (she writes great sailormoon fics; go check her out! Darkslayer too! His fic is really cool!) suggested adding Duo. Review or e-mail me at [onichan01@yahoo.com][1] and tell me what you think. If enough say they would like to see him, I'll find a way to work him into the plot.

   [1]: mailto:onichan01@yahoo.com



	6. Chapter 5

****

Other Worlds

Chapter 5

Okay here it is! Chapter 5 turned out shorter than I had first planned it, but it's still okay. I'm gonna leave you on another cliffhanger! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! I'm just so evil, always leavin' you hangin'. Anyway, please tell me what you think and if you would like to see another g-boy in the fic. ^_^ You can e-mail me at [onichan01@yahoo.com][1]

Disclaimer: It' s pretty obvious by now.

…. = denotes thoughts

"Bandits." Nikita spat. "We're surrounded."

Ten figures walked out from the woods surrounding them, armed with broadswords. Eight more dropped from the trees, each one armed with crossbows. Heero's dream came back to him at the sight of the crossbows cocked and ready to fire. He took a few steps closer to Nikita's side.

"Well, well. What have we here?" said who Heero supposed was the leader. He was a little bigger than the rest and seemed to have a sense of authority over the others. He was very scruffy looking, like he had been in one too many fights. A long scar ran under his right eye. He looked Heero over. "I think we've found what we've been lookin' for boys." he smirked. Heero didn't like the way he was looking at him. "Lady Shara's gonna be most pleased when we deliver you boy."

"What are you talking about? Who's Lady Shara?" Heero demanded. He didn't like where this was going. What the hell was going on? Why did this person want him?

The scarred bandit ignored Heero's questions and turned his dull gray eyes on Nikita. He smirked and grasped her roughly by the chin, forcing her face up to his. This action enraged Heero. Who the hell did this guy think he was, touching Nikita like that?

"What a pretty little thing you are." the bandit said, with a lecherous look in his eyes. "Maybe Lady Shara will let us keep you after we give her him." The other bandits leered at the snarling elf. Heero growled low in his throat, wanting to kill each bandit in the slowest, most painful ways possible. He looked over at Nikita and noticed her lips moving slightly. She was chanting again. Heero hoped she was summoning another fireball to roast these guys with. If he knew how, he would've done so himself just for the pleasure of watching them burn after the way they had been staring at Nikita.

Wait a minute. Why do I care so much? Heero was distracted from his thoughts as the scarred bandit roughly ran his hands down Nikita's sides. Heero was aching to rip his throat out. Nikita suddenly smiled.

"Why thank you for the compliment." she smirked. "It's nice to see that even the ugliest of men know true beauty when they see it."

"What did you say, you little bitch?" snarled the bandit.

"I think you heard me." said Nikita quietly. Heero noticed something strange happening to Nikita's eyes. They were rapidly getting lighter in color.

"Heero, close your eyes now!" she yelled. Heero shut his eyes, just as Nikita's suddenly flared white, filling the forest with a dazzling bright light. The bandits howled in pain as they were blinded and clutched at their temporarily useless eyes. Nikita slammed her elbow into the gut of the bandit that had been groping her and plunged her blade into his neck as he fell forward. Heero quickly fired off four shots, hitting four of the crossbow bearers right between the eyes and feeling an amazing sense of satisfaction as he watched them fall lifeless to the ground.

His triumph was short lived, however, when his gun was suddenly shot out of his hand. A few of the bandits' eyes had cleared up and were now attacking them, enraged by the death of their comrades. A bandit armed with a broadsword charged Heero. Heero nimbly dodged him and hit hard across the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. He picked up the bandit's sword and rushed another two of the crossbow-wielding bandits. They fired rapidly at him, but he managed to dodge the bolts. He drove his sword into the gut of one of the bandits than swung it across and neatly decapitated the other. Blood flew everywhere, covering Heero's blade and arms. He looked over to see how Nikita was doing. She was busily fighting off two of the bandits armed with broadswords while two more shot at her with their crossbows. Heero panicked when he saw the bolts flying towards her, narrowly missing her each time. He turned to attack the bandits shooting at Nikita. They saw him coming and turned their fire on him. He dodged the bolts, but one made it passed his defense and struck him in the upper thigh. He hissed in pain, but didn't slow down. He swung his sword in a wide arc, slashing open the throats of the two surprised men. They dropped their crossbows to the ground, clutching at their throats as their lives came pouring out in a great river of red.

Heero then turned to go help Nikita and didn't notice one of the bandits sneaking up behind him. He cried out in pain when he felt the heavy blow on the back of his head. His sword fell to the ground with him soon following. He cursed as he fell, the sound of Nikita's panicked voice crying, "Heero!" the last thing he heard before falling unconscious.

Well that's it. What will happen to Nikita and Heero now? Who is this mysterious Lady Shara? And why does she want Heero? Well, don't ask me because I am as clueless as you are. I'm just making it up as I go. Please review and let me know if you would like to see Duo in the story. If enough people say yes, I'll put him in. And don't forget to check out my friends Kousei's and Darkslayer's fics too. They're really good and deserve more readers! ^_^

   [1]: mailto:onichan01@yahoo.com



	7. Chapter 6

****

Other Worlds

Chapter 6

Okay here's chapter 6. Aldrich has a small part and depending on whether or not you peeps want Duo in the fic will determine what chapter 7 is like. Please review and tell me what you think or you can e-mail me at [onichan01@yahoo.com][1]. 

Disclaimer: You guess.

…. = denotes thought

Heero awoke with a throbbing pain in his head. He closed his eyes and moaned. The wound on his thigh felt like it was on fire. He tried to get up, but found that he couldn't move his arms or legs. He looked down and saw that his hands had been tied behind his back and his legs had been bound together too.

He looked up to examine his surroundings. He was in a dark cell. The only light came from the tiny window in the cell door. The dirt walls and floor were damp and the air smelled musty and old. Rats skittered about in corners; their beady eyes glittered at him in the darkness. Heero shuddered. He had always hated rats.

"Great. This is just fucking great." sighed Heero. He was tied up, who knew where, in a dark little cell. On the plus side though, someone had cleaned and dressed his wound. He wondered who did that. He worked himself into a sitting position against the wall. He looked around the cell and noticed a small figure slumped against the far wall. Curious, he scooted himself over.

It was Nikita. She had been tied up just like Heero. She looked a little more roughed up than Heero though. Her pale skin sported a few dark bruises and blood trickled slowly from a small cut on her forehead. She was still breathing though, much to Heero's relief. He scooted up next to her and nudged her with his shoulder.

"Nikita. Nikita, wake up." Nikita's eyes fluttered open then squinted back shut as she moaned in pain. Her body felt like one giant bruise and she was having trouble feeling her hands. She looked over and saw Heero.

"Oh Heero, thank the gods you're alright!" exclaimed Nikita. She pressed her cheek against his shoulder. Heero stiffened slightly as he felt her warm breath wash against his cold skin. "I was so worried about you…"

"Well, you don't have to worry anymore, I'm okay." said Heero. He nuzzled his cheek against the top of her head, loving the way her silky hair felt pressed against his face. He stopped himself and pulled away as soon as he realized what he was doing. "We need to worry about getting out of here right now."

"Oh yes, of course." Nikita pulled away blushing lightly. "There's a dagger in my boot. If you can get it out we'll be able to get out of these ropes." Heero turned around so he could reach her boot. He stuck his hand in and felt around until he felt his hand hit something sharp. He grabbed it and pulled it out. 

"I got it." he said.

"Good. Now try to cut the ropes off my hands." said Nikita. She turned around so that she and Heero were back-to-back. Heero worked the dagger between them, carefully sawing at Nikita's bonds. A while later Heero felt the dagger cut through the last rope and Nikita broke free.

"Ah gods, that feels better!" exclaimed Nikita happily while she rubbed at her tender wrists. She took the dagger from Heero, finished cutting herself free and then released him. They both stood up, stretched their sore, cramped muscles, and turned to face their next obstacle to freedom. The door.

Heero walked over to look it over. It was a thick wooden door with a small window that had been cut near the top with iron bars across it. Halfway down the door was an iron handle and a keyhole, They, unfortunately, had no key. The door looked very solid and Heero wouldn't be able to break it down without causing a lot of noise and possibly attracting some unwanted attention. He looked out the little window and saw a guard sleeping slumped against the wall, about five feet away. 

"Well? Have figured out a way for us to get out?" asked Nikita a little impatiently.

"There's a guard sleeping out there. If I try to break the door down, I'll probably end up waking him and he may alert others to our escape." said Heero.

"Let me see." Nikita walked over to the door and looked out. 

"That's no guard! That's Turk!" exclaimed Nikita happily. "I wonder what he's doing here? Hey Turk!"

"Huh…Nikki…?" the guard murmured sleepily. He yawned and got up as he stretched. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean 'what am I doing here? What does it look like I'm doing here?" hissed Nikita. "More importantly, what are you doing here? Since when do you work for bandits?"

"I'm not working for bandits. I'm on a job." he winked one jade green eye. "I'm undercover here."

"Undercover?" asked Nikita.

"Yeah, I was hired by some old woman to fetch a book or something that these bandits apparently have. She's paying quite a bit or I wouldn't be here otherwise." replied Turk. "So how'd you wind up here?"

"We were attacked by some bandits and were captured. We woke up here." said Nikita. "These bandits are after Heero for some reason."

"Heero?" asked Turk, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes. He's Heero." Nikita gestured to Heero who was standing behind her. Turk waved hello and Heero just nodded.

"Not a very friendly fellow is he?" said Turk.

"Oh, he's pretty nice once you get to know him." Nikita smiled warmly at Heero. Heero found himself smiling slightly as well.

"Oh? And how well have you two 'gotten to know each other'?" asked Turk with a little grin.

"Stop that! It's not like that at all!" Nikita blushed. "I swear Turk, you're as bad as my brother with the way you pick on me all the time."

"I can't help it. Your just so cute when your angry." he giggled as he reached through the bars to pinch Nikita's flushed cheek.

"Do that again and you'll lose that hand!" growled Nikita while she batted away his hand.

"Hmph. Threaten me like that and I might not let you out." said Turk in mock threat.

"Oh yes you will, or risk incurring my brother's wrath." replied Nikita.

"Well, I wouldn't want that now would I? Hold on a minute and I'll get the door open." he fumbled with the keyring for a moment before finally unlocking the door. Nikita and Heero stepped out, relieved to be free of that dark little room.

"Thank you Turk. I owe you one." said Nikita.

"You sure do, and I'm not going to let you forget it." grinned Turk.

"Do you know the way out?" asked Heero.

"No I'm afraid I still don't know these tunnels very well. I never really bothered to learn all the paths." said Turk sheepishly as he ran a hand through his messy chestnut brown hair. "Tonight was my last night here. I got what I came for and I'm going to leave soon."

"Be careful then." Nikita pulled the tall wiry man in a friendly hug.

"You too Nikki." replied Turk. "I'll try to stir up some trouble so you two can escape more easily."  


"Thank you." said Heero.

"Come on Heero. We better get going." Nikita took his hand in hers and started leading him down the right hallway. Heero looked back to se Turk waving goodbye to them.

"Take care you two. And take good care of Nikki Heero." he said. Heero nodded to him and turned his attention back to following the blond elf.

It was not long before they reached the end of the hall and came to a large wooden door. It was not locked and they both pushed it open a few inches. They peeked inside and their eyes widened in shock. Nikita gasped at the sight that lay before them.

Meanwhile…

Aldrich knocked on the door of the small wooden cottage and waited patiently for answer. The sound of stumbling could be heard inside along with a loud crash and a few loud obscenities. Aldrich chuckled softly to himself. 

Still the same, eh Taren?

The door flew open revealing an angry, stout old man. He was shining bald and wore a stained yellow robe and clutched a pair of glasses in one gnarled old hand. His gray eyes narrowed as he glared at Aldrich from under large, white bushy brows. 

"What do you want?" he snarled in a gruff voice. "If you're selling anything, I don't want any of it!"

"Taren, is that any way to greet an old friend?" Aldrich said in mock hurt. "Maybe if you put on your glasses, it would help you remember me." Taren fumbled with his glasses for a moment before finally slipping them over his hooked nose. A warm smile crossed his wrinkled face as he recognized his old friend.

"Aldrich! It's good to see you!" said Taren. He gestured for Aldrich to come inside. He drew Aldrich into warm hug. "How are you doing? It's been quite a while since I've seen you."

"I've been doing quite well. How have you been?" asked Aldrich as he made his way through the messy interior of the cottage. Large, old books were scattered everywhere, some open with papers of barely legible notes lying around them. Bottles of ink, wine, and who knew what else covered tables and shelves. Taren walked over to the fireplace and cleared off two chairs. He sat down and motioned for Aldrich to do the same.

"So, what brings you to me this time?" asked Taren.

"There have been some strange happenings going on." said Aldrich. "Especially to me and my sister."

"What do you mean?" the old man leaned forward slightly in his chair.

"Well, my sister and I came upon this odd foreigner in Jenret Forest. He said he didn't know how he got there, that he had just woken up in the middle of the forest." said Aldrich.

"The boy's obviously lying. No one just wakes up in the middle of Jenret Forest." said Taren.

"I thought so at first as well." replied Aldrich. "But I cast a small truth seeking spell and discovered that he was indeed telling the truth. That's not the strangest thing though."

"Oh?"

"Yes. There was a strange magical energy surrounding the boy." Aldrich steepled his hands in front of him as he recalled the tale. "It made my skin tingle every time I got near him. I don't think my sister could sense it because she's not as powerful a magic-user as I. But during moments of high stress for him the energy got stronger. The night I left he had a nightmare. During it the energy got so strong I could see it. It was a light blue aura."

"Does the boy use any magic at all?" asked Taren. Aldrich shook his head. "Hmm…that is strange. It might explain some things though."

"What do you mean?" asked Aldrich.

"The sorceress Shara has been hiring every bandit in the country to search for a certain boy." Taren stroked his long white beard as he tried to remember what he had heard. "There's supposed to be something very special about this boy. I think they said he was the reincarnation of…oh blast, I forgot!" grumbled Taren in frustration. "I do remember that she gave a few of the bandits seeking crystals…"

"Seeking crystals?" asked Aldrich in disbelief. "Those are usually only used for…"

"I know." replied Taren. "Your friend may be in trouble."

"Especially if Shara is after him." said Aldrich, getting up. "I must hurry and get to Canderis so I can warn Nikki and Heero."

"You mean Nikki isn't with you?" asked Taren while he walked Aldrich to the door. "You left her behind again?"

"Well, I do travel faster without her." replied Aldrich lamely.

"Aldrich you should be ashamed of yourself! Always leaving behind your poor little sister like that, what if something should happen to her?" scolded Taren. 

"And that's exactly why I must be hurrying, to find her and make sure nothing does happen to her. "Goodbye old friend!" said Aldrich as he disappeared out the door to escape further scolding from the stout old wizard.

"That boy," Taren chuckled, "is going to be the death of poor Nikki yet."

And that's the end of chapter 6. Tell me what you thought of it and if you would like to see Duo in the story. Chapter 7 will not be posted until I know whether or not you people would like to see him in it. After all, I'm writing this for your enjoyment, so shouldn't you have some say?

   [1]: mailto:onichan01@yahoo.com



	8. Chapter 7

Other Worlds ****

Other Worlds

Chapter 7

After a lot of thought, I decided Duo would be a nice addition to the story. So I put him in this chapter. Please don't hurt me! *hides* I know some of you didn't want him in here, but there were a lot more that did. I think this chapter turned out pretty well and I hope you enjoy it. (although I've probably lost about half my readers now…) Oh and one more thing. Heero and Nikita aren't going to be in this chapter. This will mainly be Aldrich and Duo (not in the yaoi sense!). Aldrich has become one of my favorite characters and I thought he deserved a bigger part in at least one of my chapters. Don't worry though, I won't keep you totally in suspense. Chapter 8 will be all Nikita and Heero I promise! ^_^

Disclaimer: Characters from Gundam Wing are not mine. If they were, I'd be rich and not wasting my time writing fanfiction.

…. = denotes thought

Duo cursed Heero's name as he stalked through the darkening forest. Heero had been gone for a couple hours and the other pilots had started getting worried, so they had asked Duo to go out and find him. Actually, they had just shoved Duo out the door with a gun and told him to bring back Heero. Duo grumbled some more as he remembered his friends' earlier actions against him.

"Some friends they are." he grumbled sourly. "I swear, when I find Heero he is gonna get it." Duo jumped and drew his gun when he heard a sound come from behind him. He turned around and saw a rabbit hopping calmly away. He let out a shaky breath and nervously ran his fingers through his hair.

"Shit. It was just a fucking rabbit." he chuckled nervously while he put his weapon away. Forests always gave him the creeps. He preferred city streets to the great outdoors. The woods were completely dark now. The pale moonlight was the only illumination through the thick trees. Duo shivered, mostly from fear than cold. He forced himself to ignore the chills running up his spine and continue through the woods. Deeper into the forest, he started hearing a strange rumbling sound, like thunder, only there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Curiosity piqued, he walked towards the sound. He soon arrived at clearing with a small lake sitting at the center. The water was smooth and calm. A gentle breeze blew through the tall grass and crickets chirped their night song. There seemed to be almost nothing wrong with this quiet scene. However, it was that almost nothing that was causing the almost comical look of shock on Duo's upturned face.

"What the hell…?" asked Duo in a tiny voice as stared up at the strange black swirling clouds that hovered in the sky above the lake. Blue bolts of lightning flashed and crackled across the portal, striking the ground every so often. A bolt struck the ground near his feet, jolting him out of his current stupor. He stumbled backwards a few steps before falling flat on his ass.

"Whew, that was close." gasped Duo. Unfortunately for Duo however, the next bolt would be much closer.

Aldrich walked briskly down the road to Canderis, humming a cheerful tune. He had a strange feeling that his sister was in trouble, which was part of the reason why he was hurrying, but he wasn't too worried. He had raised Nikita well and he was very confident in his younger sibling's abilities to handle any situation. Besides, Esprit would warn him if Nikita's situation were dire. 

"Hmm?" Aldrich looked down at the blue gem that hung around his neck. It was pulsing with a warm blue light. "Is something wrong Esprit?"

__

To the west. Strange presence. Shouldn't be here.

"Oh really? Is it hostile?" Aldrich's smile vanished and he furrowed his brows as he concentrated. He stretched his senses, searching for the strange presence his guardian had pointed out to him. He could feel something unusual, but it was very faint. 

"Maybe I should go see what it is…" He walked off the path and headed west, letting his senses guide him.

__

Nikita?

"We'll meet up with her later Esprit. I'm sure my little detour won't set me behind that much." said Aldrich as he walked through the woods. "Besides, I'm sure she's fine."

__

Careful, Aldrich.

"I always am."

Duo slowly opened his eyes. Pain pounded in his head like a low drum. He moaned and slowly rolled himself onto his back. He rubbed at his violet eyes a little and stared blankly up at the graying sky.

"What the hell happened?" Duo rubbed his temples and tried to soothe his throbbing headache. It dulled down a little and that's when Duo noticed something strange. He sniffed at the air and grimaced as a rancid smell assaulted his nose. He looked over to his right where the smell was coming from and was met with the empty stare of a rotting corpse.

"Aaaahhhh!" Duo jumped up and backed away from the rotting body. He looked quickly around and saw that he was no longer by the lake. Instead he was in a large empty field. The dry yellow grass barely moved from the faint breeze that blew through. The field was also littered with a few more dead bodies. 

"Where the hell am I?!" Duo heard a strange gurgling moan come from behind him. He spun around and drew his gun, looking around for any threat. The low, gurgling moan came again and this time Duo saw where it came from. He watched in shock and horror as the corpse he had been lying next to earlier slowly rose up and turned its empty eye sockets on him. It began taking slow, shuffling steps towards the braided pilot.

"Holy shit! It's a zombie!" Duo shot at the shuffling creature three times. The bullets landed in its rotted flesh with sick squishing sound, but it did not stop in its advance towards Duo.

"Damn, how do you stop these things?!" Duo racked his brain, trying to think of a way to stop the undead creature coming after him. Then he remembered playing a certain game where you had to escape from a house full of zombies and the only way to kill the creatures was to shoot them in the head. Duo decided to give it a shot, took careful aim and fired. He hit it square between the eyes, but the monster didn't even flinch. 

So much for that…

Duo, becoming panicked and very limited in his options, decided to run for it. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, leaving the shuffling creature behind. He saw that the other dead bodies in the field were starting to rise as well and Duo started freaking out a little.

"This is not happening, this is not happening. There are no zombies coming after me. This all just some fucked up dream and I am going to wake up soon." Duo tried to assure himself. He suddenly felt something wrap around his ankle and send him sprawling into the ground. He gasped and wheezed as the breath was knocked from his lungs when he hit the ground hard. He slowly pushed himself to his hands and knees. He tried to move his leg, but found that he couldn't. He looked back to see what he had gotten caught on. He saw a bony hand sticking up from the ground, wrapped around his ankle.

Duo screamed and worked his way loose of the rotting appendage. He finished pushing himself up and bolted off. The gray sky was rapidly becoming black. It was getting hard to see. Duo felt something grab at his back and yanked him to a stop. He twisted around to fend off his attacker and came face-to-face with one of the ugliest things he had ever encountered in his lifetime. It looked like it was once human, but it was horribly disfigured. It's skin was gray and rotting. Its yellow eyes bulged from their sockets, giving it a crazy wide-eyed look. It had long, pointed yellow teeth and a long, thick tongue that slithered in and out of its drooling mouth. It raised its clawed hand and swiped at Duo. Duo twisted out of the way and elbowed the creature in the back, sending it sprawling to the ground. It was back on its feet quickly though, and it went for Duo again. Duo dodged its claws again and took off. The creature loped along after him, but it was too slow to keep up.

Duo didn't get too far before he ran into something, hard. Duo stumbled back a few steps, but quickly regained his balance. He heard a thump and a quiet grunt as whatever he ran into hit the ground. Duo looked down and saw a slightly effeminate looking man with shoulder length blond hair and pointed ears sprawled on the ground before him. The strange man picked himself up and began dusting off his white robes. 

"Who are you?" Duo asked, hoping this weird looking person would be able to help him. The stranger looked up and smiled warmly.

"My name is Aldrich." he said as he finished brushing off his robes. "And you are?"

"Duo. Sorry for running into you." apologized Duo. "I was trying to get away from this weird zombie-thing that was chasing me. Can you tell me where I am?"

"This place doesn't really have a name, but it's not someplace you should be wandering around in at night." Aldrich looked over Duo's shoulder and his eyes narrowed. "Look out!"

Duo didn't have time to move fast enough before he felt a sharp, stinging pain in his left shoulder and sharp little pinpricks in his arms as the creature that had been chasing him sank its teeth and claws into his flesh. Duo howled in pain and tried desperately to twist out of the creature's grip, but it was inhumanely strong.

"Aaahh! Get it off me, get it off me!" he cried while he struggled against the creature's vice-like grip. Tears of pain began to leak from his eyes as the creature gnawed on his shoulder, working its way to the bone and the clawed hands dug deeper into his tender flesh.

"Oh God, somebody help me…" Duo whimpered. He could feel blood trickling down his arms in warm rivulets. His struggles grew weaker as he lost more blood. Then suddenly the creature was ripped violently from Duo's shoulder by a ball of white energy. Duo cried out as a chunk of his flesh was torn from him. He fell forward, barely conscious and intense pain radiated throughout his body. He lifted his head a little to see where the blast had come from and saw Aldrich glowing with a faint white light. He spoke a few strange words and the light around him grew brighter and his eyes began to glow as well. He placed his palms together and another ball of white energy began to form in his hands. The creature got slowly back to its feet and Aldrich blasted it again. The monster let out a piercing shriek as it was disintegrated into dust.

The white light from Aldrich faded and his eyes returned to their normal color. He bent down to examine Duo's shoulder. It was bleeding profusely and the bone was exposed. The gleaming white stood out against the dark red; it even had a few teeth marks. Aldrich knew he would have to tend to Duo's wound soon, but they needed to get somewhere safer. It was rare to encounter one ghoul without a few more being around. He picked Duo up and set him on his feet. The boy whimpered and collapsed against the taller man. He was too weak to stand on his own. 

"Come on now, you need to stay awake Duo. I need to be sure you're still alive." said Aldrich while he dragged the braided pilot to the forest edge. "I don't want to drag you halfway through the forest just to find out that you've died and I've been dragging a corpse." Duo murmured something, his head drooping towards his chest.

"You sure picked a great place to wander around in at night, you know." said Aldrich sarcastically, hoping for an answer from Duo. The boy murmured something incoherent, assuring Aldrich that Duo was still breathing.

It was not long before they stopped and Duo could hear the sound of running water. Aldrich laid him gently down on the soft grass and Duo sighed with relief when they had stopped moving. He struggled to open his eyes and focus, to see where they were. Aldrich dug through his satchel and cursed when he didn't find what he was searching for. 

Damn. I forgot that Nikki had the bandages. With a defeated sigh, Aldrich plucked at the seam on the long sleeve of his robe. He broke the thread with his teeth and ripped the sleeve from his robe. Aldrich frowned. He was going to have to get a new robe and they were so expensive. He had really liked this robe too. He heard Duo moan and he focused back on the task at hand. He dipped the cloth in the freshwater stream and made sure it was soaked before returning back to Duo. 

"I'm going to have to remove your shirt so I can clean your wounds." Aldrich told the barely conscious boy. Duo murmured again and nodded his head. Duo felt Aldrich quickly unbutton his shirt and push back the fabric. He shivered as the cold air hit his damp skin. Then he felt something cold and wet press against his shoulder. Duo yelped as the pain in his shoulder intensified. He tried to squirm away, but Aldrich held him still.

"Shh, relax. I can't properly clean your wound if you keep squirming." Aldrich scolded him. Duo settled down and whimpered every now and then when pangs of pain ran through his trembling body. Aldrich quickly and gently bathed his shoulder and the scratches in his arms. Aldrich was pleased to see that the claw marks in Duo's arms weren't as deep as he had previously thought. 

"There, almost done." Aldrich put down the wet fabric and dug around in his satchel again, this time producing a small vial of red liquid. He opened it and poured half of the liquid on Duo's shoulder. Duo felt a pleasant tingling warmth spread through his shoulder and down his arm. The wound closed halfway so the bone was no longer exposed, but there was still a big gash left behind. Aldrich debated on pouring some of the liquid of Duo's claw wounds, but decided they would be fine to heal on their own. Instead he poured the rest of the liquid down Duo's throat. Duo coughed as the bitter liquid made its way down his throat. Duo felt the tingling warmth spread through his entire body and the pain lessened. He heard the sound of more ripping cloth as Aldrich tore off his other sleeve and ripped it into strips. Duo squeaked in pain as Aldrich bandaged the wound on his shoulder tightly. 

"Sorry." said Aldrich. He bandaged the wounds on Duo's arms as well, being careful not to hurt the braided boy again. 

"Thanks…" Duo murmured before sleep finally claimed him. 

"You're welcome." Aldrich smiled and pulled out a blanket from his satchel and laid it over the sleeping Duo. 

He almost looks like a brunette version of Nikki… He mused, remembering when his little sister had had a run in with some bears when she was younger. She had been playing with the bear's cubs, despite all of Aldrich's warnings. The bear had torn her leg up pretty badly and he had had to save her and bandage her up like Duo. Aldrich had been so scared that day, he thought he was going to lose all that was left of his family. She still had the scar on her leg, a constant reminder to her of her carelessness. Nikita was more careful after that and started taking her older brother's advice more seriously.

Aldrich propped himself against a tree, crossing his lean muscled arms across his chest and prepared himself to stay up the night and watch for danger.

"I hope you're being careful now, Nikki."

Tada! What did you think? Please review and let me know. Duo has entered the story, was nearly killed, and the purpose of Aldrich's gem was revealed. Chapter 8 will be Heero and Nikita's escape. What will happen? The more reviews I get, the sooner I post 8 so if you read please review or you can e-mail me at [onichan01@yahoo.com][1] if you have questions, comments, or suggestions. Oh, and if you find a mistake, please tell me so I can fix it. It doesn't matter how small it is, any mistake is embarrassing to the author. I proofread my own stories, so sometimes I miss things.

   [1]: mailto:onichan01@yahoo.com



	9. Chapter 8

Other Worlds ****

Other Worlds

Chapter 8

I finally got chapter 8 done! Hurray! It may not be as good as I wanted it to turn out, but it is all Heero and Nikita just as I promised. Well, except for one tiny little part. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Three guesses and the first two don't count.

…. = denotes thought

Nikita gasped at the sight that lay before them. She pushed the door further open and stepped into the room, excitement dancing in her eyes A happy grin broke out across her face and she turned back to Heero, who was still standing in the doorway.

"Heero, have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" she asked in a soft excited whisper. The small room was filled with treasure, the kind you read about in storybooks. Mountains of gold and silver coins glittered in the yellow torchlight. Large rubies, emeralds, and various other polished gems sparkled against the gold and silver. Swords and daggers with ornate gilded hilts lay encased in jewel encrusted sheaths. Nikita's own sword and satchel were lying there, it's plain looks standing out amongst the wealth. Heero had to admit that all this treasure was indeed an impressive sight.

"How big are your pockets Heero?" asked Nikita while she picked up her sword and sheath. She buckled her longsword back around her waist. She started opening up various satchels on her satchel and cramming as many gold coins as she could into each one.

"Nikita, I really don't think we have time for this." said Heero. He wanted to get out of here quickly. Something about this place made him uneasy.

"Oh, relax Heero." said Nikita while she busily filled the pockets on her satchel. "We may need all this gold later. If we run into an inn, I want a warm clean bed. Maybe you should pick out a sword or something." She gestured towards a few swords lying off to her right. "We may have to fight our way out if Turk doesn't come through for us. He's not the most reliable person in the world."

Heero walked over to one of the swords Nikita had pointed to. It was huge with a silver hilt that had an ornate golden dragon twisting around it with a blood red ruby resting in its claws. Its sheath was made of black leather and had strange looking runes sown into it with golden thread. Heero grasped its hilt and lifted the sword. It felt heavy and clumsy in his hands. He didn't think he'd be able to fight with it.

"Heero, I think that broadsword may be a little too much for you." Nikita walked over to his side. "Hmm, it looks magical. Can I see it?" Heero handed her the broadsword. She took it from him and began studying the runes in the sheath. Heero marveled at the way she handled the heavy weapon with ease. She didn't seem to feel its weight at all. Nikita saw him looking at her strangely and laughed.

"Why are you looking at me like that Heero?" she grinned. "Don't let this delicate looking form fool you. I'm a lot stronger than I look and I've been training with a sword my whole life." Heero just crossed his arms and looked away, not saying anything.

"Here." Nikita handed him a longsword she had found in the pile of treasure. Heero took it and strapped it around his waist. Nikita strapped the broadsword onto her back. She picked up a large ruby from the pile and put it in her satchel.

"A little something for Turk, if we find him." she said as she slung her satchel onto her back as well. 

"Can we go now?" asked Heero a little irritably. He really wanted to get out of this place. Nikita heaved and exasperated sigh and threw her hands in the air in a gesture of defeat.

"Fine, fine we'll go." She walked to the door, pausing in the doorway to look back longingly at the treasure they would be leaving behind before continuing on. Heero followed after her, shutting the door behind him so that no one would be able to tell they had been down this way. Then the two took off silently down the hall.

Turk stood in the middle of the dim hallway and scratched his head. He looked back down at the map in his hands, but it only served to confuse him more.

"I don't think I have the right map…" he mumbled to himself. He looked down the hall. It split off in two directions. Turk looked down the left hall then down the right, but found nothing to distinguish the halls from each other. They both looked the same to him. He needed to find the way out of here soon so he could deliver the book and collect his pay. He was also hoping to see Nikita again. He wanted to at least talk to her once more; it had been so long since he had last seen her. 

"I hope she's all right." He thought back on that strange boy that was with her. Something had seemed a little off about him. Maybe it was his eyes, they were dark blue and cloudy, like a raging storm lurked behind those irises. It was unnerving the way they just drew everything in to be sucked down in their dark blue depths. Except when Nikita had smiled at that boy, something had flickered in them and he didn't seem so cold for a few moments. Turk smiled. Nikita could melt even the coldest of hearts. There was something about her; she was just so carefree and downright adorable when she was angry. Her cheeks would flush a pretty red, her aqua eyes flashing. It was part of the reason why Turk picked on her so. Turk shook his thoughts of Nikita out of his head and turned back to the task at hand.

"I guess I'll go right." The tall man pulled the hood on his cloak up a little higher and turned down the right hall.

"Looks like we've come to another door." said Nikita wearily. They had been wandering the halls for what felt like hours, finding just about everything but the way out.

"Should we open it?" asked Heero. His feeling of unease had increased when they had traveled down this hall.

"We might as well. Who knows, maybe this one leads out." Nikita replied. They pushed the heavy door open a few inches and Nikita peered through the gap. Heero looked in over her shoulder.

The room was lit dimly with torches. There were about five bandits there armed with short swords and three more with crossbows. They appeared to be guarding a door on the far side of the room. Four of the bandits were playing cards, one was asleep, and the other two were arguing about something. 

"Heero, I think we've finally found the way out of this wretched place." whispered Nikita happily. 

"How do we make it past the guards though?" asked Heero. He was wishing for his gun. 

"I'm not sure…hey who's that?" asked Nikita. A tall figure in a dark cloak had just entered the room. He walked quietly along the edge and nobody seemed to notice him. He looked over in the direction of the door where Heero and Nikita were. The dark figure waved a little hello to them.

"It's Turk!" whispered Nikita. "Maybe he has a plan…" Turk pulled down the hood on his cloak and walked over to the guards. He started talking to them in panicked tones and gesturing towards the door he had just come through. The guards picked up their weapons and walked over to the door and disappeared into the hall behind it. Turk grinned smugly as he watched them go, then walked over to Heero and Nikita.

"You two can come out now, the coast is clear." He said. Heero and Nikita stepped out from behind the door.

"Turk thank you! That's twice I owe you now." said Nikita. Turk just grinned and ran a hand through his messy brown hair.

"Think nothing of it. How about we get out of here now? I don't know how long they'll be gone." he said.

"Yes, we should get going." Nikita took Heero's hand and started leading him towards the door. Heero noticed Turk frown a little at Nikita's action.

I wonder what's wrong with him? He thought. Maybe he has feelings for Nikita too… Heero tightened his grip on Nikita's hand a little and glared at Turk. 

"Hey Turk, we didn't find anything in there…" a voice said. The trio jumped at the sound and turned to face the returning guards.

"Hey! What are you doing with the prisoners Turk?" asked the guard. 

"Um…well, er…uh…" stammered Turk. 

"You lousy traitor!" the guard roared and charged Turk with his sword raised. Turk jumped nimbly out of the way and drew his own twin shortswords.

"So much for getting out of here without incident…" mumbled Nikita. She let go of Heero and drew her longsword. Heero did likewise. 

"Guess we'll be fighting our way out of here." said Turk as he joined Nikita and Heero at their sides. The five guards attacked and the trio fought them off expertly. Then crossbow bolts began to fly and they had to separate or risk being hit.

Two of the guards had Heero backed into a corner. They fought him fiercely, Heero barley being able to block one blow before another one was thrown. He was suddenly very glad for all those fencing lessons. Then one of the guards gave Heero the opening he needed. He kneed the man in the gut and drove his sword into his back when he doubled over. Now he was able to focus all his attention on the other guard. He attacked the other man with lightning fast blows. The guard managed to fight Heero off for about five seconds before Heero's blade was buried deep into his chest. Heero wiped at the blood that was trickling down his forehead from a cut he had received he looked up and saw Turk fighting off a guard and trying to dodge the bolts that were being fired at him at the same time. Heero then heard Nikita's voice cry out in pain and saw her pinned to the wall by a dagger through her shoulder. She gritted her teeth and pulled the dagger out and threw it back at the bandit that had thrown it at her, hitting him in the forehead. Another bandit came up behind her and she turned to face him, despite her bleeding shoulder. She didn't see the crossbow being aimed at her from behind as she fought the bandit.

The dream...

Nikita drew her sword back from the dead guard's body. She stood there, catching her breath and clutching her wounded shoulder. Blood was running off her arm and down her blade, forming a small red puddle on the dirt floor. A guard armed with a crossbow stepped out from the shadows he had been hiding in earlier and aimed his crossbow at Nikita's back.

"Nikita, look out!" shouted Heero, sprinting towards the blonde elf. She looked up at the sound of Heero's voice, a look of confusion crossing her face. She looked behind her too late though. The crossbow was fired and Heero knew he wouldn't be able to reach her in time to push her out of the way and she wouldn't be able to move quickly enough to dodge the bolt. Heero had to try and save her though. He forced himself to go faster, his entire being concentrating on the deadly projectile heading straight for Nikita. Without thinking, he suddenly reached out and caught it before it could strike Nikita. Heero stopped, staring at the bolt in his hand.

"Heero, how did you do that?!" asked Nikita with obvious surprise.

"I'm not sure…" replied Heero. They were both snapped out of their stupor at the sound of the crossbow guard crying out as Turk finished him off.

"Great catch Heero." said Turk. "Now, I think we should be leaving before their friends arrive."

"Yes, of course." said Nikita and she began walking towards the door with Turk following after her. Heero stared at the bolt a few minutes more before finally dropping it and following Nikita and Turk. The trio stepped out into the dark and disappeared into the night forest.

Well, I hope you liked it! Could there be a possible love triangle forming between Turk, Nikita, and Heero? Hmm, we'll just have to wait and see! Please remember to review!


	10. Chapter 9

Other Worlds ****

Other Worlds

Chapter 9

Wow, chapter 9 didn't take as long to write as I thought it would. Took me a hell of a long time to type though…I wonder why?…Anyway, sorry for the delay! Enjoy! ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing but I do own Nikita, Aldrich, Turk and all the other crazy stuff that comes outta my imagination, with the exception of the monsters that I use which are from AD&D.

….. = denotes thought

Duo awoke to a throbbing pain in his shoulder. He grimaced as he slowly pushed himself up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He looked around and saw he was in a quiet forest clearing with a small stream running through it. Duo was confused for a moment before the events of last night finally hit him. He gingerly touched the bandaged wound on his shoulder.

It really happened. That monster…

"Glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?" Duo was startled from his thoughts when he heard a voice from behind him. He looked behind him and saw a man with shoulder length blond hair and pointed ears siting against a tree.

It's that weird guy who saved me last night.

"I'm feeling a little better than I was last night." said Duo.

"Glad to hear it." said the man as he got up and walked over to Duo. He knelt beside him and examined his bandages. "Does it still hurt much?" 

"A little…" Duo trailed off. Who the hell was this guy? And what was up with his ears? "What's your name?"

The man looked a little surprised at his question. "Aldrich."

"Oh." said Duo. "I'm Duo." 

"Yes, you told me last night." said Aldrich.

"I guess I forgot…" 

"I don't blame you." said Aldrich. "I'd want to forget last night too if I were you."

"Can you tell me where I am?" asked Duo.

Aldrich just shrugged. "You're in a forest in the Greymoore region."

"The Greymoore region?…" Duo repeated. He had never heard of such a place before.

"Do you know how you got here?" asked Aldrich.

"Not really…I just sorta woke up in that field…" said Duo.

Great, another one who doesn't know how he got here. How many more are going to arrive? thought Aldrich.

"Do you remember what happened before you got here?" asked Aldrich. Duo furrowed his brow as he tried to recall what had happened before he had arrived in that horrible field.

"I was out looking for one of my friends. He had walked out into the woods and hadn't come back for a while so my other friends asked me to go look for him." Duo paused for a moment. "Then I started hearing some strange noises, like thunder rumbling, only there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. I followed the noises to a small lake and there was a whole bunch of weird black clouds sort of hovering above it, with blue lightning flashing through it. I got hit by one of the lightning bolts and then I woke up in that field." Aldrich was listening to Duo's story with avid interest. Duo had just described a spell, but he couldn't quite remember which one. Then another thought occurred to him.

"What was the name of the friend you were searching for, Duo?" asked Aldrich.

"Heero Yuy. Why?" said Duo with a confused look on his face.

"He's been here. My sister and I ran into him a few days ago." said Aldrich. Duo's eyes widened at the news.

Heero's been here?…

"Where is Heero now?!" asked Duo. 

"He's with my sister. I'm going to go meet them in Canderis." replied Aldrich.

"Can I come with you?!" asked Duo. Maybe Heero can tell me what the hell is going on…

"Of course. I'd love to have a little company along." said Aldrich.

"Thanks!" said Duo. His stomach grumbled noisily. He blushed. "Um, do you got anything to eat?"

"Yes, just a minute." Aldrich pulled out a small bundle wrapped in brown cloth from his satchel. Inside it was a loaf of bread and four apples. He gave Duo half of the bread and two of the apples and watched in slight fascination as Duo scarfed down his food like he hadn't eaten in days. Aldrich gave Duo his apples when Duo finished off his own.

"Thanks a lot." said Duo when he had finished eating. He got up and stretched, wincing slightly as he moved his injured shoulder. He picked up his shirt from off the ground and pulled it back on. The left sleeve was torn up pretty bad and there were small holes in booth sleeves. He finished buttoning up his shirt, then picked up the blanket he had been using, folded it up and handed it to Aldrich who put it back in his satchel.

"Thank you." said Aldrich as he put the blanket away. He slung the satchel over his shoulder and reached over to tug his sleeve back down only to be reminded that he didn't have them anymore. Aldrich sighed sadly. He probably looked ridiculous walking around in a sleeveless robe. 

"Shall we get going then? Nikita and Heero may already be in Canderis." said Aldrich. Duo nodded his head eagerly and fell into step beside the taller man as they headed to Canderis where, hopefully, Duo would find Heero so he could explain this weird situation.

"Oww! Heero that hurts! Do you have to wrap it so tight?!" whined Nikita as Heero bandaged the wound in her shoulder. They were in a small clearing, far from the bandits' hideout. Turk had left them a short while ago, saying he needed to deliver the book as soon as possible. Heero had felt a little relieved when he left, though when he had hugged Nikita goodbye, it had sent jealousy running through him. Now, Heero was currently bandaging a complaining Nikita's shoulder.

"I'm hardly wrapping it that tightly at all. You're just too sensitive." said Heero. Nikita glared at him. Heero couldn't help himself and a small grin broke out across his features.

"Why Heero, are you smiling?" asked Nikita in mock surprise.

"What?" asked Heero as he finished bandaging Nikita's shoulder.

"Well, that's the first time I've seen you smile since you've been here." Nikita rubbed her shoulder. "You should do it more often, you look good when you do."

"….whatever." mumbled Heero, a faint blush tingeing his cheeks. He was glad it was dark. The two sat in silence for a while, Heero studying Nikita as she looked up at the stars with her back facing him. Heero noticed a strange marking on Nikita's right shoulder. It was a tattoo of a crescent moon with an ornate dagger running through it.

"Where did you get that tattoo?" asked Heero, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

"Huh? What?" asked Nikita as she was snapped from her daze.

"That tattoo on your shoulder, where did you get it?" Heero repeated.

"Oh, that? I got it a long time ago. It's the symbol of my guild." said Nikita.

"Your guild?"

"Yeah, the Moonblade Guild. My brother and I were raised and trained there." said Nikita. "He has the same tattoo on his left shoulder." The silence settled between them once more before Nikita spoke again.

"That was really impressive what you did back there." 

"What?" asked Heero.

"When you caught that crossbow bolt." said Nikita. "I didn't know you could do that."

"I didn't really know I could either." said Heero. "It just sort of…happened."

"Oh? Well, thank you anyway." said Nikita, turning to face Heero, fixing her aqua eyes on him. "For saving my life."

"You're welcome, I guess." said Heero. Silence again. Heero leaned back against a tree and stared up at the stars twinkling against the black sky like a million tiny candles. He wondered for a moment about the other pilots, what they were doing and if any missions had come up. He was startled from his thoughts when he felt Nikita scoot up next to him and rest her head against his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" asked Heero. He looked down at the blonde elf.

"You don't mind if I make myself comfortable here, do you?" she asked sleepily. She yawned broadly.

"….no." said Heero. He turned back to the stars, listening to the sound of Nikita's even breathing as she slept curled against his side. He looked back down at the sleeping elf. Her lips parted slightly as she drew in each quiet breath, her long golden lashes curled against her cheeks. A few errant strands of hair curled around her sleeping face and Heero reached down and gently brushed a few of the loose strands away. She murmured in her sleep as Heero's callused fingers brushed against her cheek and she pressed herself closer to his side. Heero felt so at peace as he sat there with Nikita sleeping at his side. He hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time, something about Nikita warmed the cold that was always within him. 

The sun rose, painting the sky in pastel oranges and bright yellows. Heero watched the sun as it rose slowly over the horizon. He had stayed awake all night, just enjoying the feel of Nikita at his side. He heard her yawn and looked down at her as she slowly awoke.

"Oh, did I fall asleep? Sorry…" she said sleepily as she rubbed her eyes.

"That's okay." Heero went back to the sunset. 

"Beautiful morning…" murmured Nikita as she watched the sunrise with him. Heero just nodded. They watched it together in quiet, but their moment of peace did not last long.

They both jumped when a loud roar ripped through the quiet woods. They heard loud stomping, like a very large creature was walking around very nearby. Tiny tremors shook the earth and Nikita tensed as she looked in the direction of the noise, fear flooding her eyes. 

"What is that?" asked Heero. Nikita didn't hear him, however. She had buried her face against his chest and was whimpering and trembling with fear, her hands were gripping his shirt so tightly her knuckles were white. Heero put his arms protectively around the shaking girl and tried to comfort her.

"Nikita, what's wrong? What's making that noise?" asked Heero, trying to comfort her.

"No, not again….I'm not ready…" Nikita whimpered against his shirt. Heero held her close and looked in the direction of the noise.

God, I wish I had my gundam here…

There it is! Aren't I cruel, first I take forever to post this chapter and then I leave you on a cliffhanger! Chapter 10 is halfway written and depending on my muses' moods, it should be up soon. Thank you for reading and please review! ^_^


	11. Chapter 10

Other Worlds ****

Other Worlds

Chapter 10

Here's chapter 10! This is going to be the last chapter I post for a while. I have a few big projects due and won't have a lot of time to work on my fic. Enjoy! ^_^

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters do not belong to me and neither does the monster I borrowed from ff7.

….= denotes thought

God, I wish I had my gundam here…

The noise was getting louder and the strength of the small tremors were increasing. Nikita was paralyzed with fear, her eyes transfixed in the direction of the noise as Heero held her protectively. He couldn't even begin to guess what was making its way so loudly through the forest. He was also a little startled by Nikita's reaction. During the time he had been with her she had acted so fearless no matter what came their way, and now hers she was trembling in fear. Heero was getting a little worried. If whatever it was, was scaring Nikita this badly, then it was definitely worth getting worried over.

Duo and Aldrich were walking on the road that Aldrich had abandoned earlier before. Duo was talking and asking questions that Aldrich politely answered, when suddenly the gem around Aldrich's neck flared bright blue.

"Hey, why is your necklace glowing?" asked Duo as they stopped in the middle of the road.

"My guardian Esprit lives in this gem." said Aldrich. "It's trying to tell me something."

"Cool, it talks?" asked Duo, stepping closer and examining the blue gem.

"Only to me." Aldrich held the gem in his hand and could feel the raw energy of his spirit guardian course through him. This had him worried. Esprit didn't get charged up over nothing. "What's wrong Esprit?"

__

Nikita! Danger!

"What?! What's wrong with her?!" asked Aldrich as panic began to rise in him.

__

Green Dragon!

"A green…dragon?" repeated Aldrich weakly. He knew his sister wasn't ready to face one of those by herself. They couldn't even take one on when they were together. The first time they had fought one, they had barely managed to escape with their lives. Aldrich was so badly injured after the battle, he had been asleep for three days and Nikita had developed a sort of phobia towards them.

"Where is she?" asked Aldrich. Maybe if he could locate her, he might be able to arrive in time to help.

__

Can't find…

"What?! Why?!" asked Aldrich. Fear was taking over and making him feel weak as he imagined his sister being ripped apart by one of the evil creatures.

__

Interference…

"Something's blocking you?!" asked Aldrich in disbelief. It would take an extremely large power to block Esprit's seeker abilities, something far beyond that of a green dragon. Where could that power be coming from? A sudden realization hit Aldrich.

Heero…

"It's Heero…" he whispered. Duo gave him a strange look.

"What about Heero? What's going on?" asked Duo. He had been watching the strange exchange between Aldrich and the guardian with growing confusion.

"My sister and Heero are in danger." said Aldrich quietly. "A green dragon is after them."

"A green what?" asked Duo in disbelief. There was no way Aldrich could have said what he just thought he had said. After all, dragons were only myths. Then again, zombies weren't supposed to be real either.

"A green dragon." repeated Aldrich. "They are evil creatures that take pleasure in the suffering of others. And they eat elves."

"Holy fuck! You mean Heero and your sister are going to get eaten?!" asked Duo in shock. 

"My sister at least. The beast may just torture Heero." said Aldrich weakly. The thought of Nikita being eaten alive was making him feel ill. He fell to his knees as a wave of nausea passed through him. Duo was instantly at his side, trying to help him back up.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" asked Duo. Aldrich shook his head.

"No. I don't know where they are and Esprit can't locate them."

"Damn!" cursed Duo. Aldrich said nothing as the fear of losing all that was left of his family ate away at him. He had only one hope left.

Please Heero, I'm depending on you…please protect my sister.

Heero's eyes widened when the creature that had been stomping through the woods finally appeared. It broke through the trees and stopped a few feet in front of them.

"Damn…" was all Heero could say. He was staring at a dragon, the kind you read about in fairy tales that knights were always chasing after. It was a lot more intimidating in real life, however. It was at least seventy feet in length and sixty feet tall. It was covered in scales that were the same shade of green as the leaves on the trees that surrounded them. It's leathery wings were massive and a much paler green than the rest of it. Heero knew he didn't have a chance in hell fighting that thing one-on-one with just a longsword. It fixed a hungry yellow eye on Nikita and growled. Heero swore he saw it smile.

Holy shit…

Nikita was totally panicked now, her eyes fixed on the green beast and her back pressed tightly against the tree as if she could melt into it and become part of the bark. Her breathing had become rapid and shallow. The dragon grinned and said a few words in a strange hissing language that Heero couldn't understand, but Nikita seemed too because she whimpered in fear.

"Nikita, pull yourself together. We need to get out of here." said Heero, but she didn't seem to hear him, she was so fixated on the beast. Heero grasped her by the shoulders and shook her gently.  


"Nikita, come on." said Heero. Nikita was looking past him and her eyes suddenly widened. Heero turned around in time to see raise its large claws and prepare to swipe at them. Heero pulled Nikita out of the way just in time and they rolled across the forest floor, barely avoiding being crushed by the tree that fell as the dragon's claws sliced through it.

Heero pulled Nikita up with him and they took of through the forest with dragon following. It wasn't very fast and Heero was beginning to think they might be able to lose it, when suddenly it opened its mouth wide and released a cloud of green chlorine gas. Nikita and Heero coughed and stumbled and the gas burned their throats and eyes. Heero recovered faster and guided Nikita out from the green mist, still coughing violently. He wiped at his burning eyes and half-dragged Nikita through the forest. The dragon let out a gravelly chuckle as it watched its prey stumble.

They soon reached the forest edge, but unfortunately, it came to a large canyon that looked to be very deep. There was nowhere left for them to run. Heero turned around and looked back, see the dragon quickly approaching from behind. He looked back out across the canyon, searching desperately for a way across. Nikita clung to him and whimpered as she watched the green beast approach.

"Oh gods, we're going to die!" she whimpered. "It's going to eat me alive!"

"No it's not Nikita. I won't let it hurt you." Heero said calmly, trying to comfort the fear stricken girl. "I will protect you." Nikita looked up at him with hopeful, teary eyes. Heero smiled gently and stroked her cheek. "I promise." 

Their moment was interrupted as the dragon thundered towards them, it's teeth bared in a malicious toothy smile. Heero placed himself in front of Nikita and glared defiantly at the dragon. The beast just laughed in his face and said a few more words in that strange hissing language and gestured to Nikita. Nikita shivered behind Heero and Heero didn't move. The creature just shrugged at Heero's defiance and raised its claws again. Heero and Nikita jumped back, barely missing being hit by its large claws. Heero heard Nikita scream behind him. He turned around just in time to see the ground give way beneath her feet and send her plunging over the canyon wall.

"Nikita!" Heero cried and reached out to grab Nikita's hand before it disappeared over the edge. Nikita let out a pained cry as she slammed heavily into the canyon wall, but she did not loosen the desperate grip she had on Heero's hand.

"Oh Heero, please don't drop me!" said Nikita in a scared whisper. She looked down and looked back up at Heero with a new fear shining in desperate aqua eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't let you go." Heero grunted while he struggled to keep his tenuous grip on Nikita's slippery hand. He turned his head to look behind him saw the dragon raise its claws again. Heero closed his eyes and braced himself for the blow that was sure to come. He did feel scared that he might die when those large claws struck him, but he was mostly disappointed that he had failed in protecting Nikita. He desperately wished for a way to save her and a strange tingling sensation ran through him. A few minutes passed and when nothing happened, Heero opened his eyes. The dragon was writhing on the ground, it's face contorted in pain. It let out a pained roar as it suddenly burst into dark blue flames. Heero watched in mute fascination as it was consumed by the strange fire. No heat emitted from the blue flames at all, but burned like a normal fire would. As the dragon was reduced to ashes, Heero noticed something else strange. His entire body was engulfed in a blue light, the same dark blue as the flames that ate away at the dragon.

What the hell?…

Heero could feel a strange power running through him, awakening something inside him. The image of golden feathers flashed in his mind before disappearing. The blue glow around fade as the image faded. Heero shook his head, confused by the image. He reached down with his other hand to gain a better grip on Nikita and pulled her up over the edge Exhausted, they collapsed on the ground with Nikita laying on top of him, clutching his shirt and sobbing with relief. 

"Heero…" she whispered while hot tears ran down her face and soaked Heero's shirt. Heero put his arms around her and gently stroked her back.

"Shh, it's okay. The dragon is dead now." whispered Heero in soothing tones. "I told you I wouldn't let him hurt you."

"Thank you, Heero." Nikita murmured. "You saved my life."

"You saved mine the first time we met." said Heero. 

"So, I guess we're even now, then?"

"I guess." Heero replied. He looked down at Nikita. "Should we get up and go back to get our stuff?"

"Yes, I suppose we should…" said Nikita quietly. She looked up at Heero and he felt himself getting lost in those twin seas of aqua-green. "But could you just…hold me for now…Heero?"

"Okay." said Heero. He settled back with his arms tightly around Nikita's slender form and that sense of peace from earlier washed over him again.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I kinda like it myself. Remember to review and tell me what you think or you can email me at [onichan01@yahoo.com][1]. I'm always interested in hearing your opinions.

   [1]: mailto:onichan01@yahoo.com



	12. Chapter 11

Other Worlds ****

Other Worlds

Chapter 11

There's a lot of sap, fluff, and more Heero OOCness. **MAJOR sap warning!** I hope you enjoy it and please review! ^_^

…. = denotes thought

When Nikita had finally calmed down, they decided to go back and get their things. Their stuff wasn't hard to find, they just had to follow the trail of destruction that had been left behind by the dragon during the chase. They then continued their journey to Canderis. They had traveled in silence, neither knowing what to say to the other. Nikita was embarrassed by her show of weakness and Heero was confused by all that had happened with the dragon and the image he had seen. They had been pleased when they discovered that they were closer to Canderis than they had previously thought and they managed to make it there before dusk. Nikita had been right about the gold they had stolen from the bandits' treasury; it did come in handy. They had managed to get a good room at a fine inn. Heero found himself looking very forward to sleeping in a nice warm bed. They got a good meal and even had enough money to pay for a bath and have their clothes washed.

Now they were sitting in their room. Heero was perched on his bed, back in his tanktop and shorts. Nikita was leaning against the wall and looking out the window, wearing a large, sleeveless white tunic that hung down to her knees. She had let her laziness get the better of her and had decided not to re-braid her hair, opting to simply tie it back in a loose ponytail. It hung in golden waves down her back, almost past her knees. Heero tried to study her discreetly, unable to look away from the beautiful picture that she made as she leaned against the wall next to the window.

"Heero, what are you staring at?" said Nikita suddenly.

"Nothing." said Heero, quickly looking away.

"Oh really?" said Nikita with a small smile. "It looked like you were looking at me." Heero said nothing, a little embarrassed at being caught staring. Nikita sauntered over to Heero, her honey-blonde hair swaying around her hips with every step. Heero watched her warily as she made her way over to him. She startled him when she climbed onto his bed and sat behind him, resting her cheek against his back.

"Then again, I could be wrong." she murmured playfully. "Maybe you were just looking out the window. It is a beautiful night."

"Yes, beautiful…" whispered Heero. He could feel his breath catch in his throat and his pulse speed up as Nikita wrapped her slender arms around his waist.

"What…what are you doing?" asked Heero, his voice slightly strained. He felt unsure what to do and that made him nervous. No one had ever shown him any sort of affection before, other than Relena, but she never caused the same reactions in him that Nikita did. The warm feeling that ran through him as Nikita molded herself against his back was startling in its unfamiliarity.

"I like being close to you like this, Heero." she whispered. "It feels…"

"Familiar." finished Heero softly. Heero was confused for a minute as to why he had said that word, but then realized it was true. Though he had only known her a few days, it felt like much longer, like they had grown up together or something like that. Maybe that's why he wasn't afraid to trust her so completely. He had never placed all his trust into anyone else but Dr. J before.

Maybe that's also why I want to protect her…

"Yes, familiar. That's it." she murmured. "I've only known you for a short while, but it feels like longer, much longer. Like I've met you before."

"I feel the same way. It's strange." said Heero as he reached down to twine his fingers with hers.

"And when you hold me," she continued softly, "It feels like you've done it a thousand times before. Almost like I belong in you arms…"

Maybe you do.

Heero gently pulled her arms away from him and turned around to face her. He tilted her chin up so she was looking up at him. She watched him intently while he studied her eyes. The irises seemed to be moving, swirling in the orbs of her eyes. The green and the blue were two separate entities, conflicting with each other in their space, pushing against each other like oil and water, but at the same time, fusing beautifully, hypnotically. Heero found it hard to look away. She blinked suddenly, releasing Heero from the hold her eyes had over him. He moved to pull his hand away, but she grabbed it and pressed against her cheek. 

"Will you hold me tonight, Heero?" she asked, placing a soft kiss against his palm. "While we sleep?"

"If you want me to…" said Heero. She nodded.

"I do." She reached out and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him down so he was lying on the bed next to her. He wound his own arms around her smaller form and held her tightly against him. She buried her face against the crook of his neck, sighing happily. Heero nuzzled his face against the top of her head, breathing in her scent of strawberries and cream.

"Good night Heero." she whispered as she curled herself against him, her eyes sliding shut.

"Good night, Nikita." he whispered back. She didn't hear him; she was already asleep, her rosy lips curled into a happy little smile.

Heero felt strange, light and airy, like he was floating. He opened his eyes, expecting to see the inn room and Nikita curled up in his arms, only to find that he was surrounded by white, empty space. 

"Nikita?" he called, but the only answer was the echoing of his own voice. He looked around, but there was nothing to see, just the endless whiteness that surrounded him.

"Where am I?" he wondered aloud. He looked down and saw that his body was surrounded by the same strange blue glow from earlier. He raised his hands in front of him and studied them, the strange blue light that glowed and pulsed around him. That feeling of power ran through him again, pulsing through his veins. It felt like little sparks of electricity were running through him. A strange feeling came over him and the glow intensified. Heero spun around and saw someone standing there behind him. The person's back was to him. It was a man, dressed in a plain black tunic, pants and brown boots. He had long golden-blond hair tied back in a loose ponytail. Heero had the strange feeling that he knew who this person was, but he couldn't remember from where he had seen him. 

"Who are you?" he called out to the stranger. He didn't answer. Heero walked over to stand behind the stranger. He was glowing as well; the strange blue light that surrounded Heero emanated from him as well. The stranger turned around slowly to face him. Heero let out a small surprised gasp. This person looked exactly like him. The same haunted, stormy blue eyes, the same facial features. Even their hairstyle looked the same, except that the other's was longer. The only real difference was their colorings. One was golden and the other was dark.

"Who…who are you?" Heero repeated weakly. The strange look alike smiled gently at him. Heero looked at him, recalling Nikita's words, that he looked good when he smiled. She had been right.

Wait a minute, what the hell am I thinking?…

The blond-haired man's lips moved, like he was trying to speak, but Heero could hear nothing. 

"I can't hear you…" said Heero, frowning. The man seemed to become frustrated at Heero's words and tried harder to get Heero to understand him, but still no sound issued from his lips. He looked desperate, pleading with his eyes for Heero to understand him. 

"I'm sorry, I don't understand…" said Heero softly. The man looked like he was going to try one more time, but gave up, his shoulders sagging in defeat. He looked at Heero with such sad eyes, but Heero had no idea what he could do. 

"I'm sorry…" Heero whispered. A sad smile crossed the taller man's face. He straightened suddenly and the glow around him intensified. Then suddenly, large golden wings sprouted from his back. Heero watched with wide eyes as they slowly unfurled themselves and spread out behind the golden-haired stranger. Stray feathers fell loose and floated down around him in a soft golden shower. One of the golden feathers fell into Heero's open palm.

"A golden feather…" The blue light surrounding the golden stranger grew brighter. It was starting to hurt Heero's eyes. He turned away, shielding his eyes with his arm. He closed his eyes tightly against the blinding light, still clutching the golden feather in his hand.

Heero blinked groggily as he woke up, the sun glaringly bright in his sleepy eyes. He felt a little confused for a moment like he had forgotten something important. He dismissed the idea and yawned broadly, shoving his messy brown hair out of his face. He looked down at Nikita, who was still asleep, happily curled up in his arms. He smiled and gently brushed back her long bangs. She sighed and wriggled closer to him. He lazily ran his hand through the golden curtain of her hair, just enjoying the feel of the silky strands slipping through his fingers. He nuzzled his face against the top of her head and closed his eyes.

"You're so beautiful…" he whispered. He felt Nikita shift and pulled away to look down at her. She yawned and blinked sleepily up at him. She smiled sleepily.

"Good morning, Heero." she said while wrapping her slender arms around him and pressing her cheek against his chest.

"Good morning." replied Heero. "Did I wake you?"

"No, not at all." she sighed happily. "This feels so nice." 

"What does?" asked Heero.

"Waking up here in your arms." replied Nikita. "We should do this more often."

"Maybe…" said Heero softly. The two lay there for a while, soothed by the sound of the other's quiet breathing. There was suddenly a loud knock at the door, startling them out of their peaceful moment. They both jumped at the loud sound and Heero glared at the door.

"Who's there?" he called out.

"There's somebody here to see ya, travelers." the rough voice of the innkeeper called back.

"It's probably my brother." said Nikita. "He always manages to find out where I am."

"We'll be down in a minute." Heero called back. The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard as the innkeeper walked away.

"Well, I guess we'll have to get up now…" said Nikita. She sat up and was about to get off the bed, when Heero suddenly grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back down against him.

"Not yet…" he growled into her hair as he pulled her smaller form tightly against him. She struggled half-heartedly and turned her head to look back at him.

"Heero, we need to get going. My brother is waiting." said Nikita.

"He can wait a little longer…" he ran his hands playfully up her sides eliciting a small giggle from the lovely elven maiden.

"Heero, stop!" she laughed.

"Why?" asked Heero, enjoying himself. "I like hearing you laugh…" His fingers danced up and down her sides, causing little shrieks of laughter to emit from the blonde elf.

"Heeeroo! Stop…hahaha…we need to get dressed…hahaha…" she giggled. Heero did not cease in his attack on her though. He just tickled harder. Nikita was laughing hard and struggling like mad to get away from Heero and his torturous ministrations, tears running down her face. She managed to squirm around so she was facing him and grabbed his evilly grinning face. She pressed her lips to his in a warm kiss. It only lasted an instant, but it was enough to make Heero stop his assault against Nikita and go completely slack with surprise.

"Now," she said, smiling triumphantly, "We need to get dressed and go meet my brother. He may have news." Heero didn't say anything, still a little shocked by what had happened. Nikita grinned.

"C'mon Heero! Get up!" she said while she hopped out of bed. Heero just looked after her for a few moments with a strange look on his usually stoic face, before climbing out of bed himself.

"Eulysia! Eulysia, where are you?" called Derek as he searched the dark woods for his elusive partner.

"I'm over here Derek." a velvety feminine voice called back. The half-elven mercenary turned and walked in the direction of the voice. He soon reached a small clearing where his partner was waiting. The red-haired woman was sitting on the lush green grass, holding a small crystal orb in her hands.

"What are you doing?" asked Derek, standing behind his partner and peering curiously over her shoulder. She turned her golden eyes to look up at him and held a slender finger to her full red lips.

"Shh. I'm trying to contact Lady Shara." she said. "We need to inform her of what happened with Alden Forest Bandits that way we don't get blamed."

"Oh, I see." said Derek. He waited while Eulysia said the spell to activate the crystal orb. When it was completed, the ball glowed briefly, then a pair of ruby red eyes appeared.

"Eulysia, Derek," said the dark sorceress, "What news do you have for me?"

"Mistress, we have news concerning the bandits that you hired in Alden Forest." said Eulysia. "It seems they could not detain the boy long enough for us to arrive and deliver him to you." The red eyes narrowed.

"I didn't think they would. Do you know where he is now?" 

"We're tracking him now, Mistress." said Derek. "We should be able to find him in no time." 

"You had better." said the sorceress. "I will be needing him very soon." 

"Yes Mistress." said Eulysia and Derek.

"We'll contact you as soon as we find anything on his whereabouts." said Eulysia. 

"Very well." the red eyes vanished from the glass.

"That woman gives me the creeps." said Derek with a small shudder. Eulysia smacked him upside the head. "OW!"

"Don't say things like that about our boss!" said Eulysia. "I don't care how creepy she is, she pays well and I want to keep working for her."

"Sorry." mumbled Derek, rubbing his now sore head. Eulysia placed the ball back in her pouch.

"C'mon. Let's get going."

"What's taking them so long?" grumbled Aldrich. He had been waiting at this table with Duo for his sister and Heero to show up for nearly an hour and was growing more impatient every second. He looked over at Duo who still seemed surprised to be here and had been asking Aldrich questions almost non-stop on their way here and was now fascinated with a pair of dwarves and a halfling sitting a few tables away.

"Hello!" called out Nikita cheerfully as she walked to Aldrich and Duo's table with Heero following. Aldrich looked up at the sound of her voice and turned in his chair so he could see her. He had been worried sick since the dragon attack. He caught sight of the bandages on her shoulder and was immediately up and at her side.

"Nikki, what happened to you?" asked Aldrich in a concerned tone, examining her bandaged shoulder. 

"It's nothing too serious, just a scratch." replied Nikita nonchalantly. "Sit back down so we can talk." They all took a seat at the table. A surprised look crossed Heero's face as he saw the familiar braided pilot already seated at the table.

"Duo?"

Duo looked up at the sound of his name. A big grin spread across his face when he laid eyes on Heero.

"Heero! Man, am I glad to see you!" exclaimed Duo. "You wouldn't believe all the crazy shit I've just been through!"

"You two know each other?" asked Nikita looking curiously over at Duo.

"Yes." said Heero. 

"Oh, I see." Nikita turned back towards Duo, smiled and held out her hand. "Well, my name is Nikita, but most call me Nikki. It's nice to meet you." Duo grabbed her hand and shook it. 

"I'm Duo Maxwell." said Duo. "It's great to meet you too. Are you Aldrich's sister?"

"I am." she replied. "How did you meet my brother?"

"I found him being gnawed on by a ghoul." said Aldrich.

"Is that what happened to your shoulder?" Heero asked Duo, gesturing to his makeshift bandages. 

"Yeah." Duo winced at the memory and rubbed his shoulder.

"You were bit by a ghoul?" asked Nikita. She turned to her brother. "Why hasn't he turned into a ghoul yet?"

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Duo. "I'm gonna turn into a what?!" Aldrich shrugged.

"I still haven't figured that out myself yet." replied Aldrich. "I thought it was odd that he was still human by morning. Maybe ghoul bites don't affect him. I'm still going to take him to cleric however, just to be safe."

"That would be best." said Nikita. "By the way Aldrich, what happened to your sleeves? You look ridiculous."

Aldrich sighed miserably and pointed to Duo.

"He's wearing them." 

"Oh." said Nikita. "I guess we'll just have to get you a new one."

"And just how are we going to do that?" asked Aldrich. "In case you've forgotten, we're running a little low on gold."

"Not anymore!" grinned Nikita. "While you were gone, I picked up a little extra cash."

"Where?" asked Aldrich. 

"Heero and I we're captured by bandits. " said Nikita. "It turned out Turk was there on a job. He was impersonating a bandit so he could find a special book or something." 

"Oh really?" said Aldrich.

"Yeah, we got really lucky. He let us out and while we were looking for the exit we came across the bandit's treasure room." said Nikita. "That's where Heero got his sword and I found this strange looking broadsword." She un-strapped the broadsword from her back and handed it to Aldrich. "I think it might be magical." Aldrich examined the sword. He could feel a faint magical energy radiating from it.

"I think you're right." said Aldrich. "We should have it identified later." 

"Turk helped us out a little when we were fighting our way out." said Nikita. "I got pinned to the wall by a dagger. That's why my shoulder is bandaged."

"I see." 

"So how did you get here Duo?" asked Heero.

"Well, I was out looking for you when I came to this weird lake. It had some sort of weird lightning storm going on above it." Duo paused. "It was only in that area though…and there was no rain, just blue lightning."

"Blue lightning?" asked Heero.

"Yeah…I got hit by one of those bolts and then the next thing I know, I'm in a field full of zombies and one of them is gnawing on my shoulder!" said Duo.

"Blue lightning…" murmured Heero. It sounded familiar to him, but he wasn't sure.

"Maybe you got here the same way, Heero." suggested Nikita.

"Maybe…I still can't remember." replied Heero.

"I may be able to find something here in this town to help you restore your memory." said Aldrich. "In the meantime, Nikki may I have a word alone with you?" 

"Sure." said Nikita as she followed Aldrich to an empty corner of the room. Heero looked after them, wondering what was going on.

"What's up Aldrich?" asked Nikita once they stopped. Aldrich looked at her with a solemn expression on his face. Nikita had a feeling she wasn't going to like what he said.

"Nikki," said Aldrich, "I saw my friend Taren a few days ago. He told me…some interesting news, regarding our new friend Heero."

"What kind of news?" asked Nikita warily.

"His appearance here may not have been by accident." said Aldrich. "He may have been brought here for some specific reason. And I highly doubt it's for the good of the Realms."

"What do you mean?"

"The sorceress Shara is looking for him." said Aldrich, "And she wants him bad. She's been hiring bandits all over the countryside to go look for him. She even equipped a few with seeking crystals, that's how desperate she is to find him."

"Heero?" Nikita looked back at the table where the cobalt-eyed boy was sitting. "Why would that evil woman want Heero?"

"I'm not really sure." replied Aldrich. "But I think it might be wise if we headed somewhere safe for now, until we can figure everything out."

"Alright." Nikita nodded. "Where do you think we should go?"

"I think it's time we went back home." said Aldrich. "To Vesey."

What will happen to our heroes once they arrive in Vesey? Will they even get there or will Derek and Eulysia reach them first? You'll just have to wait and see. Sorry, but this is the last chapter I'll be posting for a while. I'm going to my mom's for the summer and won't be anywhere near a computer the whole time. *sob* I'm also sorry that this chapter took so long, my muses were lazy and so was I. Gomen minna-san!


	13. Chapter 12

Other Worlds  ****

Other Worlds 

Chapter 12

Konnichwa minna-san! I'm back from my summer vacation and I have a brand new chapter for you! I hope you enjoy it!

****

Disclaimer: All things associated with Gundam Wing do not belong to me, instead they belong to those lucky people that created them.

…. = indicates thoughts

"Well, he's been here, that's for sure." Derek looked over the bustling city, holding a small triangle shaped crystal in his hand. It glowed faintly, but the light was quickly fading. 

"You told me he would definitely be here." said Eulysia irritably, crossing her arms over her chest. "We need to get him to Lady Shara soon or it'll be our heads."

"Just calm down." He replied, looking down at the crystal in his hand. "It's still glowing, that means the trail is still fresh. If we hurry, we can catch up."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" exclaimed the sultry redhead. "Which direction?"

"Northeast." The half-elven mercenary replied. Eulysia immediately began walking in that direction as soon as the word left his lips.

"Come on, we've no time to waste."

After a few quick stops at the local cleric, alchemist, and general store to re-supply themselves, the small party left the bustling town of Canderis and began traveling northeast to Vesey. Duo and Aldrich were up towards the front chatting animatedly while Heero and Nikita hung towards the back walking in silence.

Heero's mind kept travelling back to that brief kiss Nikita had given him back at the inn. He found himself unconsciously licking his lips every now and then at the memory of her smooth soft lips pressed so warmly against his own, the way heat had flushed through his body. It was startling to him how that simple action had roused so many different feelings in him, but what confused him most was how familiar those feelings had been. Heero looked over at Nikita who walked silently beside him, kicking a small pebble. She had re-braided her hair before they had left, much to Heero's disappointment. He liked to see it hanging down her back in golden waves and being able to reach out and run his hands through its silky mass. 

Heero sighed in frustration. What was wrong with him? Ever since meeting the petite blonde elf, it seemed that she was all he could think of. Thoughts of missing a mission or of his gundam's condition had barely occupied even two seconds of his thoughts. Nikita noticed him frowning and her brows crinkled together as a concerned expression took its place on her face.

"What's wrong with you, Heero?" she asked, startling him from his thoughts.

"Nothing." He replied quickly. 

"Then why are you frowning over there like you have something serious on your mind?" Heero remained silent to her query. She frowned but decided not to press the issue.

"Where are we going now?" asked Heero suddenly. 

"Aldrich thought it might be a good idea to go visit home for a little while." Nikita replied. 

"Home?"

"Our guild in Vesey." Said Nikita. "Aldrich and I have lived there for as long as I can remember." 

"Do your parents live there?"

"My parents are dead." She replied softly.

"I'm sorry." Said Heero.

"It's alright. They died when I was very young. I don't really remember them at all." She said, folding her hands behind her head and looking up at the sky. "I don't even know how they died. Aldrich remembers, but he won't talk about it and every time I ask him about our parents he becomes really quiet and depressed. He stays like that for a few days." Heero looked over at Aldrich who was laughing at something funny Duo said. He couldn't really imagine seeing the cheerful elf as anything but happy. He seemed to have a perpetual smile on his delicate face and his blue eyes had a mischievous sparkle to them. 

"After a while I just stopped asking." Heero remained silent, unsure of what to say. The silence between them began to grow uncomfortable until Aldrich suddenly stopped and turned around to Nikita.

"Hey Nikki," he said in a quiet voice, "Did you happen to bring any gems with you from the bandits' treasure?"

"Yes, I have a few. Why?" asked Nikita.

"Give me a few. I want to have a few spells ready." He glanced quickly around their surroundings. "I have a feeling someone's been following us." Nikita reached into her belt pouch and dug through it in search of the items. Heero eased his hand onto the hilt of his shortsword, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. 

"What's going on?" Duo suddenly asked. 

"Duo, do you have a weapon?" Aldrich asked while he took the small gems from Nikita.

"Well, I had a gun, but I dropped that in the zombie field…" He trailed off when he noticed the elves giving him a strange look. "What?"

"Gun?" Nikita asked. "What's that?"  


"Well, it's a weapon, it fires bullets, you know…" Duo shrugged, unsure of how to really explain. The elves just looked more confused.

"You mean like a sling?" asked Aldrich.

"Uh…I guess…" Duo shrugged. 

"Well, whatever, the point is that you don't have a weapon, right?" said Aldrich. Duo nodded. "Then we'll have to get you one. Nikki, do you have any spare weapons?"

"All I have is this dagger…" she replied, removing a sharp-looking dagger from its hiding place in her boot.

"It'll have to do." Aldrich took the dagger from her and handed it to Duo." You can use one of these?"  


"Sure, no problem." replied Duo.

"Alright. Everyone be ready, we may be attacked at any moment." said Aldrich. The group continued down the path and had only gone a few feet when they heard a deep male voice behind them.

"Well, well. See Eulysia, I told you we'd find them." They all spun around to see where the voice had come from. They saw a man with long, messy black hair standing a few feet behind them, his arms folded across his broad chest. He was tall and muscular and dressed completely in black. An almost obscenely large sword was strapped to his back. Standing next to him was a beautiful woman with long crimson hair. She wore a scanty blue top and a long skirt that had slits up to her upper thighs running up both sides. She had on black boots and a shortsword hung in a scabbard off her right hip. Her lips had been painted a blood red and she had on a deep purple eyeshadow that stood out against her pale skin.

"I guess you were right, for once." smirked the woman. She pointed a finger at Heero. "Give us the boy and we won't kill you." 

"No way!" growled Nikita. "Just try and take him and _I'll_ kill you!" She unsheathed her longsword and held it out in front of her. Heero drew his own sword and Duo tried to look threatening with just a dagger. The woman gave a chilling laugh.

"Isn't that cute, Derek?" She said. "They think they actually have a chance at beating us." She raised her arms above her head and her partner drew his huge sword. She said in incantation and her hands whipped through the gestures of a spell. A dozen silver spikes suddenly appeared in the air and lunched themselves at Heero and the others. They all jumped out of the way, landing hard on the grass. One of the spikes managed to catch Heero's shirt, pinning him to the ground. Derek rushed at him and Heero tugged harder on the cloth that seemed to refuse to give. He brought his sword down on Heero but it was block by Nikita's own blade before it could even get halfway. She kicked the tall warrior in the gut, sending him stumbling back a few steps. 

"Not bad, little girl." said Derek. He leaped at Nikita and slashed furiously. Nikita was hard pressed to parry all his blows. Heero got up and rushed over to help her. He then noticed that the woman was beginning to cast another spell.

"Somebody stop her!" he yelled to the others. "She's about to cast another spell!" Duo looked over at Eulysia. She was halfway through the spell. Duo took careful aim then threw his dagger, hitting her in the arm. Eulysia let out a cry of pain and clutched her injured arm. 

"Nice one, Duo!" said Nikita. Duo grinned then ducked as his own blade came flying back at him. Eulysia had pulled it out and began casting a new spell. Aldrich threw a blue gem to land at her feet and said an incantation. The gem exploded and bolts of lightning burst out of it, striking the red-haired sorcerer. She screamed as the electricity ran through her, then feel to the ground unconscious. Nikita and Heero were having a hard time fighting off Derek who was relentless in his attacks. Aldrich said another incantation and threw a green gem at him. It hit him in the chest and a million vines burst from it, wrapping themselves around the tall warrior. Derek tried to quickly cut away the vines, but they kept growing, entangling themselves around his flailing limbs. He finally dropped to the ground, the vines tightly binding together his arms and legs.

"Damn you!" He roared, "I'll get you for this!" Aldrich laughed at Derek's frenzied wiggling.

"Isn't it a little cliché to say something like that?" He asked nonchalantly. Nikita walked over and gave a Derek a strong kick in the ribs. He grunted and doubled over slightly. 

"That was for trying to hurt Heero." She said, flipping her long braid back over her shoulder and sticking her tongue out at him. She turned around and began heading down the road.   


"Come on, let's go. We need to get moving in case there are more losers like these after us." She called back over her shoulder. Aldrich waved goodbye to the tangled man and followed after his sister.

Shouldn't we get rid of them?" asked Heero. Nikita and Aldrich stopped and turned around to face him.

"What do you mean, Heero?" asked Nikita.

"Shouldn't we kill them so they won't come after us again?" The elves each gave him a horrified look.

"What for Heero? We beat them, that's enough." Replied Nikita. "Why should we need to kill them while they're helpless?" Heero remained silent and looked down at Derek who looked a little scared. He sheathed his sword and turned to go follow Nikita. Duo followed after him.

"See you around." Duo called back to the tangled warrior. Derek watched them walk away, rage coursing through him at his somewhat humiliating defeat.

"Those little brats." He grumbled. "Just wait until you see what we have in store for you." 

Well, wonder what Derek and Eulysia have planned? Will Heero and crew make it to Vesey first? Sorry this isn't much of a chapter, I promise the next one will be better. Anyway, thanks for continuing to read my fic and as always, please review! ^_^


	14. Chapter 13

Other Worlds ****

Other Worlds

Chapter 13

Duo has more lines in this chapter and Heero get embarrassed! Also some Relena-bashing because I hate her and believe she deserves to did and that Heero is too good for her. MAJOR SAP WARNING! My writing has become a bit fluffy due to the influence of my friend Kousei. Go read her fics! They're very good! Enjoy the chapter!

****

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters do not belong to me.

It soon grew too dark to continue down the trail so the decision was made to set up camp for the night. Nikita, after loudly proclaiming that she was tired, promptly went to sleep. Aldrich sat by the fire hunched over a strange looking book with the broadsword that Nikita and Heero had found earlier in his lap, trying to translate the runes that decorated the black scabbard. Duo sat across from Heero, staring at the flames that danced in the center of their camp, rubbing his sore arm every now and then. Heero sighed and got up. Sitting around doing nothing was getting to him a little and he decided to go for a short walk away from their campsite to be alone with his thoughts. He glanced back at Nikita who slept soundly on her blanket, the urge to lay down next to her and fold her in his arms again becoming almost irresistible. But he would never do that in front of Aldrich and especially in front of Duo, who would probably tease him about it all next day. No, he would just leave for a while until this urge passed.

Heero stepped out into the dark woods, the cool night air of the forest feeling soothing after sitting close to a fire for so long. He stopped and leaned back against one of the many trees, feeling the rough bark bite into his back, but paying it no mind. He tilted his head up to look at the dark sky with its thousands of stars glittering in its inky blackness like a million tiny candle flames. He wondered for the moment what was going on back in his world. Was he missing any missions? Had the others been captured? Did they think that he and Duo had died out in the woods that surrounded their tiny little safe house? He would never know until he went back. He wasn't sure if he was looking that forward to going back anyway. He knew Nikita would probably not come with him, after all this was the world she had been born in and would probably rather live. Heero was starting to want to permanently live here too, traveling around with Nikita at his side. A few days they had been together and already life without her was beginning to become unimaginable, almost unbearable. Her sweet voice, that cheerful smile, her long honey-blonde hair with the sunlit streaks running through them. And then there was the simple fact that she cared about Heero. No one had ever cared about him before. Not with the same intensity as Nikita anyway. She was willing to die for him, with him and her eyes never spoke of anything but pure and honest love for him. There was one other who cared for him, but it was not quite the same as with Nikita.

Relena. Thoughts of the girl from his world did nothing for him. They didn't send the heat flushing through his veins or a smile to curl his lips like when he thought of his petite blonde elf. She cared about him, but it was a fanatical love, he was an obsession with her. She thought of Heero as the prince on a white horse who would carry her away someday to his castle where they would live happily ever after. Heero snorted in disgust. The girl wanted a fairy tale romance. She was always trying to change Heero, make him that prince. She did not seem to be able to comprehend that she could not simply mold him like a piece of clay to her fantasies. He thought back to the day when Relena had first kissed him. It was cold and wet, like kissing a fish. It made his stomach turn over and left him feeling colder than before. Heero had done nothing to stop it, only stood there impassively as she pressed her lips to his. The girl had tried to get even bolder with Heero, not seeming to notice his unresponsiveness, trying to pry his mouth open with a coaxing tongue. Heero had pulled away from her then, disgust rolling through his body at what had almost transpired. He shoved her away, ignoring the hurt in her eyes and her pleas of "I love you" as he walked away. Even after that moment, she still went after him, clung to him, believing Heero just to be shy and in need of a girl who "understood him" and could "care for him" like she could. She just did not understand that Heero wanted nothing to do with her. He had only saved her that one time and to this day he still didn't know why he had done it, maybe it was out of pity. After that she only clung to him harder, believing that act was proof of his love for her. He felt he would never be rid of her and her delusions of Heero being her "white knight".

But Nikita…no words could describe what he felt when he was with her. Her kiss left him breathless, it was smooth as silk, sweet as honey, and burned like hellfire, sending heat through his body that seared his soul and left him wanting more. Her soft, sly gazes made sent ripples through his body every time he felt her beautiful sea-green eyes on him. Her touches sent electricity through him, burning every nerve and numbing his mind until he was aware of nothing but her and the feel of her soft skin touching him. Her voice was sweet, tinkling and laughing like a child's bell, heavenly to his ears. The smell of strawberries and fresh cream haunted him whenever he was near her, pulling him towards it so he could breathe in the delightful scent deeper. He could almost taste the ripe red fruit every time he was close enough to catch her scent. Her hair was so beautiful, sparkling in the sunlight of an early sunrise. It felt like the softest silk every time Heero was able to run his fingers through the long golden locks. And the feeling a familiarity that he felt with her, like they belonged together and always had. It felt like the missing half of his soul was returned to him every time he held her small soft form in his arms, her body pressed tightly against his, their heat melding together and melting the ice that covered Heero's heart.

"Deep in thought again?" Heero spun around at the sound of the voice, so lost was he in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed Duo walking up behind him. He glared at the braided boy then turned his head back to the stars.

"What do you want?" He growled, annoyed at having his thoughts interrupted.

"I saw you walk off and was wonderin' where you were wandering off to." replied Duo, settling against the tree across from Heero so he could see the stoic boy. 

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing." said Heero sharply. 

"Uh-huh, sure." replied Duo, rolling his eyes. "Well, since there's 'nothing' up, can I ask you a couple questions?" Heero remained silent.

"I'll take it to mean you don't mind if I ask some questions." said Duo in reply to Heero's silence. Heero grudgingly turned his eyes back to Duo.

"What?"

"Do you have any idea whatsoever how we're going to get back?" asked Duo. Heero rolled his eyes.

"If I did, do you think I'd still be here?" he sarcastically replied. 

"Sort of." Heero's eyebrows shot up. There was no way he could know…

"What do you mean?" Duo gave him a sly glance.

"I know you think I'm an idiot, but I can be pretty observant when I want to be." He replied. "I saw the way you were lookin' at her back at camp." Heero felt his breath hitch and his cheeks felt slightly warm.

"Is there something going on between you two?" Duo prodded. Heero remained silent. 

"I can understand why you might like her," Duo continued, "She's nice and she's pretty hot too, a real babe. So is there anything happening between you two?" Heero stared at the ground, his face hidden by his messy brown hair.

"Is the answer no?" asked Duo, getting a mischievous look in his eye. "If so, maybe I'll flirt with her a little. She'd make an awesome girlfriend." 

"Don't you dare." Heero growled. Duo laughed.

"I was just kiddin' Heero, relax." replied Duo. "So I guess I was right. Wow, who would've guessed that Mr. Perfect Soldier would ever develop a crush on anybody." He flipped some of his chestnut brown bangs out of his eyes.

"So, does she like you back?" Heero didn't reply.

"It's okay Heero, you can tell me." said Duo. "I won't laugh."

"She kissed me." Duo nearly fell over in shock.

"What?!"

"Last night, at the inn, she asked me to hold her while we were sleeping." Heero wrapped his arms around himself, feeling warm at the memory of having Nikita snuggled up against him. "And that morning when you came there with Aldrich, she kissed me."

"Wow." mumbled Duo, all seriousness now. "Was it your first kiss or somethin'?"

"No." Heero replied. "But it was the first one that meant anything to me."

"How did it make you feel?"

"Warm." Heero said the first word that popped into his head at the memory of Nikita's lips on his. "Like fire was burning through my veins." 

"Do you think about her a lot?" Heero nodded.

"When she touches you, does it feel like there are little sparks of electricity running through you?" Heero nodded again.

"Aww, Heero," said Duo in a mockingly sweet tone, "I think you're in love. How cute!" Heero glared at him.

"I regret I ever said anything." He grumbled, blushing a little.

"Sorry Heero, I couldn't resist." Duo replied. "I'm a little surprised though. I thought that you and Relena had a thing goin'." Heero snorted in disgust.

"Yeah, right." He replied. "I can hardly stand to be around that girl."

"I can understand why. She gets kind of annoying after a while." Duo shrugged. "She's absolutely obsessed with you though." 

"I know. Nothing I do seems to make her understand that I don't want her." said Heero.

"I guess you're just irresistible Heero." said Duo with a wink. "Almost as irresistible as me." Heero rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, whatever." 

Nikita eyes opened slowly and rose from her blanket on the ground. Something did not feel right, which was what had caused the interruption in her rest. She glanced around the campsite and noticed that Heero and Duo were missing. 

"Where's Heero and Duo?" she asked her brother who was hunched over a book of runes, trying to translate the ones on the scabbard of the enchanted broadsword. Aldrich grunted and gestured off to the right with a shake of his head. Nikita got up and began walking in that direction. She did not get far before she heard the familiar voices of Heero and Duo. She was about to continue forward when something made her stop. They were talking about somebody. She crouched behind a tree.

"So, does she like you back?" she heard Duo ask. There was silence, then Duo's voice again.

"It's okay Heero, you can tell me. I won't laugh."

"She kissed me." said Heero.

"What?!" The shock was so clear in his voice, that Nikita could imagine the expression on his face.

Last night, at the inn, she asked me to hold her while we were sleeping." Nikita wrapped her arms around herself, smiling at the memory of having Heero's strong arms around her, his rough callused hands gently stroking through her hair. "And that morning, when you came there with Aldrich, she kissed me."

"Wow." She heard Duo say. "Was it your first kiss or somethin'?"

"No." Nikita felt a little stab of jealousy at Heero's reply. "But it was the first one that ever meant anything to me." The jealousy was instantly replaced with a warm feeling inside her heart. Their kiss had meant something to him!

"How did it make you feel?"

"Warm. Like fire was burning through my veins." Nikita smiled. She had felt the same way when their lips first made contact in that brief moment. The heat of Heero's breath, his warm male scent so close, his strong body pressed so close against hers. It had been a small moment of heaven.

"Do you think about her a lot?" she heard Duo ask. She held her breath in anticipation of Heero's answer, but grew frustrated when she heard none. 

"When she touches you, does it feel like there are little sparks of electricity running through you?" Duo asked. Again Nikita waited for an answer, but none came.

"Aww, Heero," said Duo in a mockingly sweet tone, "I think you're in love. How cute!" Nikita felt her heart skip a few beats. Was Heero really in love with her? She heard Heero grumble something, but it was too quietly said for her to make out.

"Sorry Heero, I couldn't resist." She heard Duo reply. "I'm a little surprised though. I thought that you and Relena had a thing goin'." That jealousy returned. Who was this Relena? Was she from Heero's world? Nikita strained her ears to catch Heero's answer.

"Yeah, right." He replied. "I can hardly stand to be around that girl." Nikita's heart immediately settled. Whoever this Relena was, it was obvious that Heero didn't like her very much.

"I can understand why. She gets kind of annoying after a while." Said Duo. "She's absolutely obsessed with you though." 

"I know. Nothing I do seems to make her understand that I don't want her." Nikita found herself wanting to meet this Relena person and telling her to back off of Heero. This other girl sounded very annoying, bordering pathetic. 

"I guess you're just irresistible Heero." She heard Duo say. "Almost as irresistible as me."

"Yeah, whatever." Heero replied. Nikita chuckled softly to herself. Heero was irresistible. She loved everything about him, his wild brown hair, his intense cobalt eyes that seemed to be able to see directly into your soul, the strength that he emanated always made her feel safe in his presence. Nikita stood up from her hiding place and continued walking to where Heero and Duo were. 

"Hi." She said. Heero's head snapped around and he seemed to suddenly grow nervous when he saw Nikita. Did she hear him and Duo talking?

"Hey." Duo greeted back. He began walking back towards the camp. "I'll just leave you two alone." He winked at Heero before disappearing into the trees. Heero could feel his cheeks burning and silently cursed himself for blushing. He was lucky it was dark or Nikita surely would have seen the redness spread across his face. 

"How long have you been there?" he asked nervously.

"I just got here." Nikita lied, not wanting to embarrass him. "I woke up and you and Duo weren't there anymore, so I went to look for you." She stepped closer to Heero so they only stood a few paces apart. She looked up into Heero's eyes expectantly, as if she was waiting for something. Heero stared back silently, memorizing the way the pale moonlight fell on her fair skin and her golden hair. 

"What?" he finally asked. Nikita said nothing, only smiled and closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Heero's waist, nuzzling her face against his chest and breathing in his warm scent. Heero put his own arms around her, holding her tightly against him. She looked back up at him and slid her arms up his back until they were around his neck. She ran slender fingers through his wild brown locks and pulled him closer to her, until their faces were millimeters apart, their breath mingling together in the cool night air. Nikita held still, waiting for Heero to make the first move. Heero removed his arms from around her waist and cupped her face in his hands, bringing their lips together. Heat exploded through their bodies, as their lips played against each other. Nikita pulled Heero closer, pressing her body tight up against his until not a breath could pass between them. Each had their eyes closed, lost in the sensation the other created as their heated kiss was slowed and savored. A few moments passed before they separated, bodies flushed and panting lightly. Nikita sighed and rested her head against Heero's shoulder. Heero re-wrapped his arms around her slender form, resting his chin against the top of her head, losing himself in her familiar smell of strawberries and cream. 

"Woo, way to go Heero." said Duo softly from his hiding place. He had decided to see what was really going on between Heero and Nikita so instead of going back to camp, he had crouched behind a bush instead. What he had seen had definitely proven that there was something serious between them. Duo had never seen so much passion in the normally stoic soldier.

"Man, Relena's gonna go nuts when she finds out about this." He grinned. It might be kind of funny to see the look on the princess of the Sanq Kingdom's face when she heard that Heero was in love, just not with her. 

"I didn't know you were a voyeur, Duo." Said a voice behind him. Duo let out a surprised squeak and spun around, sighing in relief when he saw it was just Aldrich. He glared angrily at the smirking elf. 

"Don't sneak up on me like that! You nearly scared me to death!" Aldrich just chuckled at Duo's little outburst.

"If you hadn't been so wrapped up in spying on Heero and my sister, you would have heard me coming." Duo just snorted and turned back to the couple who were still contentedly holding each other, oblivious to Duo and Aldrich who only stood a few feet away. 

"You shouldn't be spying on them anyway, you know. They deserve their privacy." Duo just mumbled and ignored Aldrich. Aldrich sighed then reach over to grab the back of Duo's shirt and began dragging him unceremoniously back to camp. Duo let out an indignant yelp and struggled as best he could in Aldrich's surprisingly strong grip. 

"What the hell are you doing? Let me go!" Aldrich ignored Duo's outraged cries and didn't let him go until they arrived back at camp where he promptly let Duo go. Duo was unprepared for Aldrich's sudden abandonment and fell over, hitting the back of his head on the hard ground. He yelped in pain and got up to glare at Aldrich, rubbing the back of his sore head.

"I didn't really need a concussion along with my half-eaten arm." He grumbled. Aldrich just smirked and laid down on his blanket.

"Maybe next time you'll listen to me when I tell you not to spy on my sister."

Heero opened his eyes then blinked them back shut as he stretched and yawned. He noticed something strange, the ground felt unusually soft and smooth. He sat up and noticed that he wasn't out in the woods anymore, he was lying on a large, soft bed draped in dark blue silk sheets. The room, obviously a bedroom, was lavishly decorated, with creamy marble walls and four large pillars, one in each corner, made of the same marble and a large wooden door over on the right side of the room. The pillars were inlaid with gold and rubies. There were large brightly colored rugs on the floor that had intricate designs weaved into them and several large silver candelabra with tall white candles burning brightly, casting an almost dreamy glow about the room. 

"Where the hell am I?" he murmured as he got out of the bed. His head snapped to the right when he heard the creak of the door opening. He quickly crouched down on the opposite side of the bed and watched with wary eyes as someone entered the room. He felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw who it was. It was the man from his dream. He wasn't wearing the simple black shirt and pants that he had seen him in, instead he was dressed in some kind of blue battle armor that looked like it was made of scales. 

The golden blond man unclasped the long black cape that hung from his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. That was when Heero noticed the sword that hung around the man's waist. It was the exact same sword that he and Nikita had found in the bandits' hideout. 

How did he get it?… He wondered to himself. He kept silent and didn't move, his eyes trained on the mysterious man in front of him. The man then pulled the top half of his armor off, a weary sigh escaping his lips as he dropped it to the floor. He was wearing the simple black shirt beneath it. Then large golden wings unfurled from his back with a loud ripping sound as the cloth tore. Heero's eyes widened in shock. The man stretched his wings and then let them settle comfortably against his back as he began undoing the clasps that held together the bottom portion of his armor. Heero quickly ducked behind the bed, not really wanting to watch this strange person undress. 

There was a knock at the wooden door. Heero peeked over the edge of the large bed, relieved to find that this person also had the black pants that he had worn in his dream too. The strange blond man opened the door and a figure in a black cloak stepped inside. The figure quickly shut the door behind them and then ran into the blonde's waiting arms. They held each other for a minute before the dark figure finally stepped back and pulled down the hood of the cloak. 

Heero gasped when he saw her. It was a woman with facial features very similar to Nikita's. She even had the same eyes. Her hair was a rich chocolate brown though, instead of the sun-kissed blonde that Heero loved. 

"Oh, Hanouri, I've missed you so much." Her voice was soft and sweet, another difference between her and Nikita, whose voice was rich and melodious. The blond man, Hanouri, smiled down at the woman.

"I've missed you as well, Naria." His voice was very similar to Heero's, but a few octaves deeper. The two embraced again and Heero blushed and ducked down behind the bed again. It didn't feel right to be watching them at the moment. 

"Have you had any trouble while I was gone, beloved?" asked Hanouri. Heero looked back up when he heard them talking again. The beautiful brunette woman shook her head. 

"No, Lady Shara suspects nothing of our relationship." She smiled coyly up at Hanouri. "Before long we may even escape her grasp and be married like we've dreamed of for so many years."

"That would be wonderful beloved." Sighed Hanouri. "But I'm afraid that I'm a prize she is not so willing to let go." 

"Do not worry so. We will think of something." Naria reached up and lovingly stroked his cheek. "As long as I have my angel at my side, nothing can go wrong." Hanouri smiled then leaned down and kissed Naria who responded passionately. Heero blushed as he watched the two and was about to duck behind the bed again when another knock sounded at the door. They separated quickly and Hanouri hid Naria behind him as he answered the door. 

A mysterious force knocked him away from the door and slammed him heavily into the far wall. Naria cried out in surprise and rushed to her lover. A woman draped in shadows then entered the door, a dagger dripping with a vile black fluid clenched in her pale hand. 

"Watch out!" Heero called out, jumping up from behind the bed. No one seemed to hear him though; there was no response at all from the three figures in the room. The woman in shadows stepped up behind Naria, raised the evil dagger-

"No!" Heero screamed, bolting upright. He looked around and saw he was back in the woods, lying on the blanket he had spread out for himself earlier at camp. He looked frantically around for Naria, Hanouri, and the mysterious woman. 

"It was a dream?" he murmured quietly. He was trembling and a cold sweat ran down his body, dripping into his eyes and plastering his shirt uncomfortably to his back. He reached up to wipe the sweat away and noticed his body was covered in that strange blue glow again, but it was quickly fading. He suddenly felt a chill run up his spine and he shivered.

"What's happening to me?"

*dramatic music* Ooh, what will happen to our Heero (pun intended) in the next chapter of Other Worlds? Wanna find out? The more reviews I get, the faster the next chapter comes out, so please give me one! ^_^v


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